


Shadow Warriors

by awesomeskittlesclw83



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Elemental Magic, Eventual Smut, Everyone has magic, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, Lexa Lives, Lincoln Lives, M/M, Maybe Some OOC Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 03:05:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 43,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6735535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awesomeskittlesclw83/pseuds/awesomeskittlesclw83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the world of Arcadia everyone has some form of elemental magic but those that are lucky enough to possess the power to be able to use more than three forms are The Elite and Bellamy Blake is one of them. In fact Bellamy is one of the only people who possesses the power of all but two of the elemental magics. But when an evil force simply known as The Key possessing the power of shadow magic, a powerful and long since forgotten magic, threatens everything that he cares about, he must go on a journey to find the only other person in the world who can use shadow magic to help him save his friends, his sister and the world as he knows it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Elite live in A.L.I.E.'s mansion from the show and is called The Ark. Lexa is the leader of Polis which is the town/city in which The Ark is located while Kane is the leader of The Elite. Lexa is a part of the elite but she chooses to live in Polis with her people. Lincoln is also a part of The Elite but stays wherever Octavia is. The world is not completely modern but not quite apocalyptic either and is closer to medieval times just with more technology. Also not beta read so sorry for any punctuation or other errors.

Bellamy concentrates on conjuring up a fireball and once it's big enough he throws it at the target only to have it fizzle out almost instantly when it hits. He sends an electrical blast at the target in frustration disintegrating it and hears laughter erupting from the door behind him as a fireball comes flying past him, destroying the next target on contact. 

"It's not funny, O. I should be able to throw fireballs with the best of them but they fizzle out and no one knows why. Not even Kane can figure it out." Bellamy whines in frustration.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Bell. Fire magic was the first form to present with me so it just comes naturally. Maybe you're not meant to have the ability." 

"Kane and Abby both say I'm strong enough magically to be able to use all forms of elemental magic, so why is it so hard to get the fireballs to keep their shape and power?" Bellamy asks obviously distressed. 

"I don't know but just because you possess the power to use it doesn't mean you can. Have you tried talking to Lincoln? He had issues with his fire magic too and maybe he can give you some help by telling you what worked for him. I mean it's worth a shot, right?"

"I guess so." Bellamy reluctantly agrees.

"Good, you can come with me this afternoon." Octavia says with a smile as she practically bounces out of the arena.

He sighs shaking his head as he once again tries to throw a solid fireball. When it once again fizzles out he doesn't notice that his mood is affecting the weather until Clarke points it out. 

"You wanna do something about this weather your bad mood has accidentally conjured?" She says playfully. 

"What? Sorry." He says waving his hand returning the sun to the sky. 

"Fire magic, again?" She asks with a sympathetic smile.

"I don't understand it Clarke. I can conjure fire with the best of them but when I want to use it in an attack it fizzles out. What am I getting wrong? There has to be something I'm missing."

"Lexa says your technique is good but using fire magic for attack purposes takes a balance within the person that you might not have yet. Water magic was the first to present with you, right?"

"Yeah, but that shouldn't have anything to do with it, should it?"

"Sometimes those that present with water first have a harder time with fire. Lexa sees it all the time with her people. Why do you think it's rare for a person to possess fire and water magic together without something else as well. Fire magic is hard for those who it doesn't manifest first." Clarke explains. 

"I guess you're right. Octavia wants me to come with her to see Lincoln hoping he could help me out."

"I think it's worth a shot. It's not like you have anything else to lose but I also think relaxing and not stressing about it so much would help a great deal too."

"Is that your way of saying take a break?" Bellamy says with a smile.

"Maybe. Besides Kane and my mom are throwing a party in honor of their engagement in a few. You should come. Some celebration would do you some good."

"So they're finally going through with it. How do you feel about that?" 

"I like Marcus well enough and he makes mom happy which is good, so I'm okay with it." Clarke says pulling him out of the training arena.

He follows along without much protest knowing that it's really no use in arguing with her or his sister. She leads him into the banquet hall that has all the doors opened up into the courtyard and everything is decorated in bright colors. It'd been a while since the place had looked so happy and inviting but he liked it. The festivities were in full swing with everyone laughing and having a good time when suddenly the sky began to darken. 

"Okay whichever one of you is messing with the weather stop because this is a happy celebration which doesn't call for rain." Kane announces into the crowd of people. 

Everyone looked around at each other but no one spoke up to take the blame as the sky continued to get darker.

"This isn't funny! Now whoever's doing this stop it right now, Dammit!" Kane repeated angrily. 

"I don't think this has anything to do with weather magic, Kane. Look." Lexa says as she points past the courtyard and into the town below.

Everyone focuses their attention to where she's pointing and notice what looks like a huge shadow creeping over everything, headed straight for them. 

"It can't be. It just can't, can it?" Abby says terrified as she looks at Kane. 

Before he can respond the shadows engulf everyone in the entire courtyard and banquet room as well as the town below. Bellamy notices that there is no sound almost like the shadow is cutting everything off from everyone. He can barely see what's in front of him but he sees what looks like a person and heads towards it. When he's close enough he touches the figure causing them to jump and punch him in the face. He stumbles back a bit grabbing him nose as he hears Lincoln's voice.

"Bellamy?"

"Where's Octavia?" He questions, his nose forgotten as all thoughts turn to his sister. 

"I don't know. You're the only thing I've been able to see or hear since this shadows rolled in." Lincoln informs him. 

Suddenly a woman in a red dress appears out of nowhere startling them both. 

"Who the fuck are you?" Bellamy asks. 

She never says a word just simply looks at him like she's trying to decide what to do with him. He's about to ask her what her problem is when shadows suddenly engulf him but almost as instantly as they appeared they're gone and he's left to fall to the floor as the shadows disappear completely. He tries to get up but can't and then everything goes black.


	2. Chapter 2

When Bellamy wakes up he's in the infirmary with Lincoln sleeping by his bed. Once he's fully awake and ensures there's no more shadows, he sits up which draws Lincoln's attention. 

"You're awake. That's good because we were worried you wouldn't wake up. What happened?" He asked concerned and curious. 

"Where's O? Where is she? Where's Clarke and the others?" Bellamy asks ignoring Lincoln's question.

"Maybe you should rest some more. I'll get Abby and Kane."

"Lincoln, where are they? What happened to everyone? Please just tell me O is okay." Bellamy says beginning to panic a bit. 

"I'll get Kane and Abby." Lincoln says again before getting up and leaving the room stopping Bellamy from asking him any more questions.

Bellamy knows something has happened to them and that it isn't good if Lincoln insists on getting Kane and Abby instead of telling him himself but he also knows that Octavia isn't dead yet because he would've felt it like he did when their mom died which was a relief. As he's trying to remember everything that happened once they saw the shadows rolling in like a fog over Polis, Lincoln returns with Kane and Abby in toe and if the expressions on their faces were anything to go by, the news wasn't gonna be good. Abby immediately begins checking him over without speaking and Kane waits until he gets the all clear from her before he says anything. Bellamy isn't the most patient person under normal circumstances but when his sister is missing or worse, his patience is non-existent. 

"Will one of you tell me what the fuck is going on, where the hell my sister is and who the fuck is the woman in the damn red dress!?" Bellamy yells. 

"Octavia, Clarke, Lexa, Miller, Monty, Jasper, Raven and Harper have all been taken by the woman in the red dress as you call her. Her name is A.L.I.E. and she was supposed to be dead or at least that's what we thought." Kane says but before he can continue Bellamy speaks. 

"What the hell does she want with them? She won't...she's not gonna kill them, is she?" Bellamy says worried. 

"Eventually she may but for now she took them for a reason so she'll keep them alive until..."

"Until they're no longer useful. How long do I have to get them back?"

"Bellamy you can't..." Abby begins. 

"Don't! Don't fucking tell me I can't! She has my sister and I'm not leaving her! I'm going after her and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me!" He shouts angrily. 

"We don't want to stop you but there's things you need to know before you run blindly after your sister, so sit down and listen." Kane commands. 

Bellamy reluctantly listens and remains quiet while Kane and Abby explain exactly who the woman in red is and why everyone's so afraid of her.

It turns out that A.L.I.E. possesses the power of shadow magic which is a very powerful and dangerous form of elemental magic because after a while the shadows consume the person turning them to the darker side of magic. When she first turned they were able to destroy her or at least they thought they did but it seems like the shadows protected her and she's done nothing since but build up her power. And while all this information was good to know Bellamy only cared about one thing, Octavia. 

"So what does she want with my sister and the others?"

"Power. She took them because they are the strongest in all of Arcadia. She would've taken you and Lincoln too but something stopped her. What exactly happened in the shadows, Bellamy?" Kane asks curiously. 

"It doesn't matter right now. The only thing that matters is getting my sister back. Now, how do I that?"

"You need to find someone who can use shadow magic. Unfortunately there's no one left alive who can." Abby tells him.

"Actually there's one person but he disappeared years ago and I'm not sure how to find him." Kane interjects.

"Who are you talking about, Marcus? There is no one else." Abby says confused.

"John Murphy. You have to find John Murphy but I'm not sure where you'd start or if he's even alive anymore. He left years ago and no one's been in contact with him for at least 5 years. Last anyone heard from him he was in Azgeda." 

"Azgeda? I know someone who may know where he is or at least a direction in which to start looking for him." Lincoln says. 

"Are you sure? I don't wanna be running around in circles while Octavia is going through God knows what." 

"Bellamy we're talking about Octavia here so don't think for a second that I don't wanna get her out of there as quickly as you do. He's the best lead we have right now so we either take or leave it."

"Fine. When do we leave?" Bellamy says giving in because he knows Lincoln is right.

Kane and Abby go over a few more things with them about A.L.I.E. before they gather supplies and head towards Azgeda. Bellamy prays that this guy Lincoln knows has some information on this Murphy guy because they really didn't have time to go door to door looking for someone who knew him. Just before nightfall they find a place to stay the night even though Bellamy wanted to keep going. Lincoln convinced him that neither of them were any use to Octavia if they were exhausted. As they settled in for the night Bellamy decided to ask Lincoln about this person he knew in Azgeda.

"So who exactly is this guy you know and how well do you know him?"

"He's the king of Azgeda and I know him well enough that he won't kill us on sight."

"Well that information would've been helpful earlier. Will he help us?"

"Maybe but not without a price. He also happens to be an expert in fire magic and could help you with yours. In fact all of Azgeda are fire magic users. It's part of the reason they're so powerful and feared. Until you guys came along that is."

"Great, let's hope he doesn't hold a grudge. We should get a few hours sleep and then keep going. I wanna get there as soon as possible."

Lincoln sighed but did as Bellamy said because he knew how worried he was about Octavia. He was worried about her too but unlike Bellamy, Lincoln had faith that Octavia would survive and fight because that's just who she was.

\---------------------

Bellamy's sleep was restless and it wasn't because he was having nightmares about what could be happening to Octavia and the others but about something else entirely. Most of it was jumbled and none of it was familiar but there was one thing that stuck out. One thing that when he woke he still remembered and it chilled him to the bone. It was about a small boy who became so angry that he engulfed his mother in shadows and watched her suffocate on them. He woke up in a cold sweat gasping for breath with a disturbed looking Lincoln by his side. They packed up in silence and continued toward Azegda. After a few minutes of silence Lincoln spoke. 

"What were you dreaming about? You were screaming and threw a few fireballs at me. Luckily they fizzled out before they made contact but your ice and water balls put the fire out a couple of times and I had to restart it."

"Sorry, I'm not really sure. I can't remember anything except a boy suffocating his mother in shadows but I'm not sure where it came from or who the boy is. That's weird, right?"

"A little, yeah. Maybe it has something to do with A.L.I.E.."

"Maybe but it was almost like the kid wasn't really in control. Like there was a part of him that didn't want to kill his mother but something was forcing his hand. The kid was scared."

"If a child presented with shadow magic first I'm sure he would be scared and Kane said it had the potential to turn someone evil. Maybe this kid was/is this John Murphy we're trying to find."

"But I don't know him. How can I dream about the childhood of someone I've never seen before?" Bellamy questioned confused. 

At least he didn't think he knew the kid from his dream. Although there was something familiar about his eyes that he couldn't shake. It was almost like he'd seen them before but he couldn't grasp the memory before it was gone to figure it out. 

Lincoln shrugged at his question just as confused as he was about the dream. Both trying to find some way to justify it as they continued towards Azgeda.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet Roan and Bellamy has another nightmare.

Almost as soon as they crossed over into Azgeda they were surrounded. Lincoln told them in their language, a language Bellamy really needed to learn more than a few words of, why they were there. A female stepped forward to talk to Lincoln completely ignoring Bellamy and a few minutes later they were being lead through the Ice Nation to talk to their king. The name was very misleading because they rarely used ice in their attacks and fire was their specialty but Bellamy reasoned if they named themselves the Fire Nation people would know what to expect which meant they lost their element of surprise. They were lead into a room where the door was closed and locked once they were inside. 

"Guess they don't trust us." Bellamy says as he looks around the room. 

"The King isn't very trusting of outsiders in his territory. I expected as much."

"Really and you didn't think I needed to know that? Tell me Lincoln what else are you expecting to happen here." Bellamy says angrily. 

"He'll do one of two things, send us on our way or help us but if he helps us he'll want something in return."

Before Bellamy can say anything in response they hear the door being unlocked and in walks a guy about Lincoln's build but a bit shorter who is flanked by two slightly larger men. 

"What is your business here Lincoln?" The guy barks. 

"We need your help. A.L.I.E. has returned and she's taken almost all of The Elite, one of them being Octavia." Lincoln informs him. 

"What do you need my help for? A.L.I.E. hasn't taken my people. Besides she fights with shadow magic and there are none left who possess the skill."

"Actually that's not true. There's one, a boy by the name of John Murphy and we were hoping you'd be able to tell us where we could find him." Bellamy interjects before Lincoln can speak. 

"What makes you think I know where this boy is?"

"We were told Azegda was the last place he was seen."

"If you could just point us in a direction in which he might have gone we'd greatly appreciate it." Lincoln says noticing the look of agitation on the King's face.

"Leave us." He orders the two men who quickly exit the room closing and locking the door behind them. 

Once he can no longer hear their footsteps retreating he begins talking again. 

"The boy you speak of will not help you. Even if I was to take you to him, he'd refuse. There was a reason he left Polis and he hasn't used shadow magic in a long time." 

"Please, just let us try. She has my sister. She's the only family I have and I can't lose her." Bellamy pleads. 

There's a long pause and the King heads for the door without another word. Bellamy is furious. They came all this way only to be ignored but as he's preparing to charge the guy, Lincoln stops him. He's about to push Lincoln out of the way when the King speaks without turning to face them. 

"Rest for now and in the morning I'll decide whether or not I'm going to take you to him but if I do there will be a price for my information. Understood?"

"We understand." Lincoln answers for them both.

"I know you do but I was talking to him. Do you understand?" He says sternly looking at Bellamy. 

"Yes, I understand." Bellamy replies through gritted teeth. 

"He has some anger, its refreshing. Too bad his fire magic doesn't match it. If it did he might be a formidable foe for anyone of us." The King replies off hand as he steps out of the room.

Once he's gone Bellamy turns to Lincoln looking confused and before he can say anything Lincoln speaks already knowing what he was gonna ask.

"There's a reason he's the King. Roan can sense the power of a person's fire magic. It gives off a certain presence, like an aura of some kind that he's connected to somehow. It's why I suggested he might be a good person to teach you how to stop yours from fizzling out. He can sense what's wrong or blocking a person from accessing the fill potential of their fire magic. If you're nice, he may help you fix yours."

"What if I don't want his help?" Bellamy pouts.

"You need it and he's the only one who can help you. So play nice and quit acting like a child." Lincoln insists. 

"No promises." Bellamy replies and almost sticks his tongue out at him but thinks better of it while Lincoln just rolls his eyes in response.

A few minutes later a boy and a girl come into the room.

"The King has informed us that you need a room. If you'd follow us we'll show you where you can sleep." The boy says while the girl looks at them timidly.

Bellamy and Lincoln follow them down the hall to a room that has two beds. 

"Please make yourself at home. Someone will be by later tonight to collect you for dinner if you chose but until then you aren't to leave this room. There will be a guard posted outside the door so there's no way to leave unless the King wishes it." The boy informs them and then taps the girl's arm to get her to follow him out.

"Are you really one of The Elite from Polis?" The girl asks Bellamy in a small shy voice.

"I am. What's your name?" He asks smiling at the girl.

Before she can answer the boy tugs on her arm pulling her out the door mumbling about how she isn't allowed to talk to anyone. Bellamy looks at Lincoln puzzled by the exchange and he simply shrugs his shoulders.

"What was that about?"

"Some of the parents don't want their children conversing with The Elite because they claim it causes them to strive for unrealistic goals. Most here only possess fire magic or one other type but never more than that." Lincoln explains.

"Does Roan only possess fire magic?"

"No. He also has air and earth magic. Some say he can even use water magic but none have seen it that I know of."

"Can he only sense fire magic in a person or can he sense others as well?"

"I'm not sure. Anya told me about him and I've been here a few times with her while they discussed things but she only ever mentioned the Fire magic. If he can sense others it's likely no one knows except him. We should try and rest in case he sends us on our way in the morning."

Bellamy nods and lays down on the bed which is surprisingly soft. Not nearly as soft as his bed in Polis but comfortable enough that he's asleep within minutes of laying down. His dreams are once again occupied by the boy from before except instead of watching him kill his mother with shadows he's watching him watch his father being executed. The feelings are so real and jarring that he finds himself gasping awake curled up in a ball with tears streaming down his face. 

Lincoln is thankfully still asleep but when Bellamy turns over he's face to face with the girl from earlier whose standing beside his bed. She's looking at him curiously but before he can speak she places her fingers to her lips gesturing for him to shush. She then motions for him to follow her with her finger. He's reluctant to get up and more than a bit creeped out by the fact that she was just standing their watching him sleep. It makes him uneasy but suddenly the girl is touching his hand and he's assaulted with these images that he can't follow or understand. He sees the girl and boy from earlier but something is off about him and he doesn't realize what until the boy turns to face them. The girl instantly begins screaming and the sound echoes so loudly through Bellamy's head that he falls to his knees gripping it. He doesn't even realize he's still dreaming or that he was screaming until Lincoln wakes him up, looking pale and disturbed by it all. Lincoln waits for his breathing and heartbeat to settle down before he asks him what happened.

"I told the guards you suffered from nightmares when in a strange place. They seemed to buy it but what the hell were you dreaming about? You nearly scared the shit out of me. It sounded like you were dying or in a great deal of pain."

"I'm not sure. It felt like I was dying. I don't know. It was almost like the dream I had before but different."

"At least you didn't try and freeze anything this time." Lincoln says with a chuckle trying to lighten the mood some. 

"Yeah. Watch that little boy carefully. The one that showed us the room with the girl, I don't trust him. I'm not entirely sure why but something seems off about him. He gives me a bad feeling."

"Does it have to do with the dream? Could you have seen something to make you distrust the child?"

"I don't know. I can't remember much about the dream except the pain and the fact that they don't feel like dreams. It's almost like they're memories. Someone else's memories that for whatever reason I'm seeing but something isn't right about him and I'm not sure why. That kid is bad news."

"Maybe we should inform Roan and see what he thinks?"

"And tell him what Lincoln, that I had a bad dream and now I don't trust the 10 year old boy he's sent to show us our rooms? I'm sure that would go over real well since he's so fond of us already." Bellamy snaps. 

"Well shit, at least it's something and if you are right we'd want to have informed him in case the child turns up dead..." Lincoln trails off not really wanting to voice the rest of that sentence but Bellamy already knew where he was going. 

"I'm not killing a child!" He states horrified that Lincoln would even venture into that territory.

"If your feeling is right, you might not have a choice." Lincoln replies solemnly and Bellamy refuses to acknowledge the fact that he may be right..


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Echo makes an appearance and Bellamy gets in some trouble with Roan.

Bellamy is about to say something to Lincoln in return but there's a knock on their door followed by the boy from earlier entering the room but curiously this time without the girl accompanying him which for some reason makes him more nervous than it should.

"Where's the girl who was with you before?" Bellamy asks before the boy can even utter a word. 

"She umm, she wasn't feeling well and is sleeping in her room." The boy replies almost like he himself is unsure of that statement.

"Really? That's a rather sudden illness isn't it? Maybe I could go see her and try cheering her..."

"No! No, she could be contagious. There's a healer coming to check her out and until then she shouldn't have visitors." The boy snaps anxiously but calms down some when he notices the look on their faces. 

"The King's orders or yours?" Bellamy asks not entirely believing the kid's excuse.

"The King's of course. Speaking of which, he's requested your presence in the great hall. Follow me and I'll take you to him." The boy says but Lincoln noticed something in his voice that made him think Roan had no clue the girl was sick, if she even really was.

They follow the boy for what seems like a long time and Bellamy is about to ask if they're lost when he smells food. They turn a corner and the smell gets stronger. He guesses it's coming from behind the set of huge double doors at the end of the hallway. The boy comes to a halt right outside the doors and turns to address them. 

"Just go through there and take a seat, the King should be along shortly if he isn't already in there."

Bellamy waits until he's around the corner and out of earshot before saying anything. 

"Was the kid always that disdainful when he mentioned Roan or did we just not pay attention before?"

"Perhaps but maybe we should mentions the girl's supposed illness. I have a feeling the King doesn't know anything about it."

"Maybe. Let's get this over with." Bellamy says with a sigh pushing open the great hall doors.

Once the doors are opened they notice a huge table lined with all sorts of food ranging from meats to cheeses to breads. Bellamy is about to head for the table realizing just then how hungry he truly was when Lincoln stops him. 

"No one eats till the King does, Azgeda law and tradition."

Bellamy sighs reluctantly heading towards a table to sit down. They don't have to wait long for Roan to enter the hall and once he arrives he allows everyone else to get their food. Bellamy is trying to decide what meat he wants when a voice from behind startles him. 

"The boar and bear are both exceptional. Once you've gotten you're food I'd like the two of you to join me at my table." 

They both nod and Bellamy decides to try them both. They take their seats at Roan's table and begin eating. After a few minutes Roan speaks. 

"I think that come morning you should be on your way. I can point you in the direction of the last place he was seen but I will do no more."

Bellamy is furious and is about to explode when the little boy comes around with something to drink and pours some into their cups. Lincoln and Bellamy share a look as Roan thanks the child. Once the child is gone from the hall Bellamy turns back in time to see Roan place the cup to his mouth ready to drink and smacks it away without thinking. Bellamy instantly knows he fucked up and is trying to figure out how to explain himself when he notices the hush that's engulfed the great hall. Roan suddenly grabs Bellamy and pulls him across the table where he slams him up against the wall and holds him there with one hand while forming a fireball in the other. 

"Wait! Please King, hear him out. There is an explanation that has nothing to do with disrespect I assure you. Please at least allow him to explain his actions before deciding on killing him." Lincoln pleads and to both their relief and surprise the fireball dissipates and his grip loosens. 

"Very well but it had better be a damn good reason. Everyone out, now! You may come back in half an hour to finish dining. Echo place a few guards at the door. No one enters until I say. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my King." 

The woman, Echo is the last one out of the room and once the doors are closed Roan looks at Bellamy as if he was a stain on his clothes that won't come out. 

"Talk!" He bellows startling Bellamy in the process.

"There's something about the boy, the one who poured the drinks that I don't trust. I can't really explain it except that it's this feeling almost like dread when he's around and I feared that your drink had been poisoned in some way. The girl that was with him earlier when he showed us to our room, are you aware that she's apparently ill? He told us that you had sent for a healer when we asked him where she was." Bellamy quickly explains and hopes that Roan doesn't think he's crazy, even if he, himself is starting to wonder if he is or not.

"And he was rather adamant about us not going to see her. It just didn't seem to add up. Not to mention there's a hint of disdain when he talks about you." Lincoln elaborates. 

Roan looks at them skeptically but walks to the table and grabs his cup off the floor. He sniffs it and then yells for a guard. Two men enter but Roan sends one of them back to their post and focuses on the other one. 

"Drink this." He says handing him the cup with some liquid still left in it. 

The guard does so without hesitation, much to Bellamy's confusion. It seemed that Azgeda warriors where completely obedient to their King and follow his orders, any orders without question. The guard is about to say something but he's suddenly gasping for air, clutching his throat and collapses on the floor where he begins convulsing before his body finally goes stiff. 

"It would seem your fears were correct. Come, we shall find the boy and I'll send Echo to check on the girl." Roan says without so much as blinking an eye at the guard he essentially killed, making Bellamy wonder how many others had lost their lives in such a manner in their service to their King.

He doesn't wait for their reply of agreement and simply walks towards the door, knowing they'd follow him which of course they did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet Murphy and learn a bit more about Bellamy's new ability.

When they find the boy, he's standing on the window ledge about to jump from the looks of it and Bellamy immediately tries reasoning with him. However it's of no use because the boy simply shakes his head and says "I've failed her so I'm dead anyways" before jumping to his death. 

Bellamy suddenly gets a flash of something similar happening except instead of a boy it's a girl and instead of a window it's a cliff. He shakes his head and hopes that Roan didn't notice but when he looks at Lincoln he can tell that he definitely did. 

"Well that was unfortunate." Roan says seemingly just as indifferent to the child's death as he was his guard's. 

"And it looks like A.L.I.E. is here after all." Bellamy says condescendingly, not caring if he found it disrespectful or not.

"So it would seem. Let's hope we'll have better luck with the girl." Roan states without so much as an eyebrow raise.

They turn to head back towards the great hall when a guard comes around the corner looking a bit spooked.

"Echo found the girl but there's something blocking us from entering her room. It's like some sort of magical wall." He says slightly out of breath and visibly shaken.

"Show me."

When they reach the girl's room Bellamy can see the wall of shadows blocking her door but he can also see a tiny crack where the wall is weakening. If they concentrated their magic in that spot they might be able to destroy it. Before he can say anything, though one of the guards tries to get through and is thrown back into the wall.

"What do you see?"

"What?" Bellamy says turning to look at Lincoln. 

"What do you see? I know you see something. I can tell by the way you're focusing on one particular spot." Lincoln repeats and Roan turns to them curiously. 

"There's a crack in the wall here. If you concentrate all your magic there then you should be able to break through it."

"Do what he says. All your fire magic here, now." Roan orders.

They do what he says and as soon as the wall is down Bellamy is the first one in the room. The girl begins to open her eyes and when she sees Bellamy she smiles. 

"I knew you'd come for me. I knew you'd figure it out." She says in a small and slightly horse voice.

"You should rest. You've been through a lot."

"I don't need to rest. I've rested enough. She needs more power. She.. Something is wrong with her. I think she's dying. The shadows need more power than what she has. She almost has enough but she needs you and Roan and Murphy." The girl says sitting up.

"What does she want with Murphy?" Roan asks and if Bellamy didn't know any better he'd say The King was actually concerned for the kid. 

"She wants to control him. Use his anger and pain to turn him to darkness so that he's like her and then drain his magic."

"What about the ones she's already taken? Has she drained them yet?" Bellamy asks panicking about what could be happening to Octavia. 

"I don't know but I don't think she can drain them until she has everyone."

"How do you know all of this?" Lincoln asks voicing the skepticism that the others seem to be over looking. 

"My brother talks a lot in his sleep and when I asked him about it, he did this to me." She says and Bellamy can tell she feels betrayed but is also saddened like she knows he's gone. 

"You know he's dead, don't you?"

"Yes. His death is what caused the crack that you saw and allowed you to free me. He gave his life so I'd live."

"I'm sorry."

"Echo, get her some food and make sure she's checked out. I also want you to stay with her at all times. Don't let her out of your sight. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my King."

Echo takes the girl who follows without protest but before she's left the room she touches Bellamy's hand and tugs him so that he's bending down in front of her. Once he's at her level she whispers something in his ear that causes him to smile. Roan notices the exchange while talking quietly with one of the other guards who nods and leaves when he's finished speaking to her. He then focuses his attention of Bellamy.

"What did she tell you?" 

"Her name." 

Roan simply nods and then says "gather your things. We leave tonight."

"Wait, so you're gonna take us to him? Why?" Bellamy questions skeptically.

"She's a threat to my people as well now and I have a feeling that you and Murphy are the key to stopping her completely." He replies cryptically.

"What makes you think that?"

"If what I'm thinking is correct you're far more powerful than you realize. Besides Murphy won't try and kill you if I'm with you." Roan says like it's obvious.

Bellamy guesses he should be happy Roan is coming with them but then he remembers that he was gonna send them to Murphy knowing he would try killing them once he saw them and he's furious again. Roan must know this because he smiles at Bellamy and shrugs his shoulders like it's no big deal as he mounts his horse while him and Lincoln follow. They ride through the night and day, not stopping until night begins to fall again. They make camp for the night and while Lincoln is cooking the rabbits he caught, Roan focuses his attention on Bellamy. 

"We should arrive by midday. It's not much farther. How were you able to see the crack and what did she mean by knowing you'd find her?" Roan says getting straight to the point of what he wanted to know.

Bellamy is silent for a bit trying to figure out how much to tell him and how much to leave out. He decides to start with the dreams in hopes of bypassing the shadows altogether. 

"Ever since A.L.I.E. attacked Polis and the Ark I've been having strange dreams. I'm not even sure they could be called dreams because they feel like memories but not my memories, someone else's. In every dreams so far there's been a little boy with blue eyes and shadow magic but when I was at your home it was different."

"Different how exactly? Was the blue eyed boy still there?" Roan asks curiously.

"At first he was but then it was like I woke up but I was still asleep. The girl was beside my bed and when I woke up or at least I thought I had woken up, she lead me to her room where her and her brother were arguing. I'm not sure about what but something happened and I was suddenly in immense pain. It was like my head was on fire and apparently I was screaming but I thought it was the girl instead of me. The only reason I knew it had all been a dream was because Lincoln had woken me up."

"And it's because of that dream that you knocked the glass the boy had given me out of my hands?"

"Yes. There was just something about him after the dream that didn't feel right. I could tell something was off but I wasn't sure what and when he showed up without the girl who he had been so protective of earlier, I immediately thought he'd hurt her like in the dream."

"The blue eyed boy, what do you see him doing in these dreams?" 

"I can't really remember everything. It's mostly fragments when I wake up but I remember feelings more than details." Bellamy says vaguely not really sure he wants to talk about what he's seen the boy do because Roan just seems a little too interested for his liking.

"How were you able to see the crack?" Roan asks picking up on Bellamy's desire to drop the dream subject. 

"I honestly don't know. I know no one else could see it but I saw the wall clearly and the crack was just as obvious." He replies skipping over the part about the wall being shadows because he knew from Lincoln that it looked like a wall of ice or glass. 

"Well, we better get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is gonna be a long day because Murphy isn't known for his hospitality."

______________________

Murphy not being known for his hospitality was an understatement because as soon as they were in sight of the small cabin a wall of fire and ice surrounds it. Then a small rift or hole of some kind opens up in the ground in front of the wall preventing them from going any farther. 

"John, it's Roan. Let us pass, we need to talk about something."

"I told you not to come here again, Ice King." A distorted voice from behind the wall says. 

"And you know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important. Please John, we need to talk."

There's a long pause that makes Bellamy nervous and just as he's about to say something, John speaks. 

"Stop calling me John and you can have 10 minutes but only you. The two with you have to stay where they are."

A small hole opens up in the wall and the ground comes back together but once Roan is through the hole it closes up and the ground opens again. It all happened so quickly that Bellamy didn't have time to try following Roan in or jumping in front of him to get through to Murphy. 

"Is it just me or does this feel like a huge waste of time?" Bellamy says while they wait for Roan. 

"He's our only chance at getting everyone back, let's just see how this all plays out."

"You think Roan can get him to help us?"

"I think he'll at least get him to listen to us which right now is the best we can hope for."

Meanwhile in Murphy's cabin, him and Roan are having a very heated discussion.

"Who the fuck are they and why the hell did you bring them here? No one is supposed to know that I exist less more where I live and you bring two strangers to my door! What the fuck, Roan?!" Murphy shouts, his anger boiling to the surface threatening to explode. 

"Something's happening Murphy and we need your help. She's back and she's taken the dark haired one's sister. She won't stop until she has you."

"All the more reason for me to stay hidden and away from this fight." 

"I thought the same thing but she infiltrated my home using a little boy who killed himself to save his sister. She'll find you Murphy and then there really will be no stopping her." 

"What difference does it make? It isn't like the four of us can do anything to her?"

"Actually, I think we can. The dark haired one, there's something about him. He sees shadows. I think he has shadow magic but it's not strong. I think it's only recently manifested and I think he may be a dream walker." Roan says cautiously looking at Murphy who looks shocked and unsure. 

"Dream walkers are myths. Everyone knows that." He replies with a scuff. 

"You and I both know how real they are."

"You're wrong! Dream walkers don't exist. Take your friends and leave before I lose what little control and patience I have left." He says ending the conversation. 

Roan wanted to push him farther but saw tiny wisps of shadows coming from his fingertips and figured it was time to go. As he opens the door he pauses and without turning back to Murphy says "he saw you killing your mother in a dream before he knew you exsisted and he felt everything you felt as if it were him. Thought you should know."

Roan makes it past the wall and hole in the ground before Murphy loses control completely and the shadows take over. Bellamy sees them coming and just as they wrap around Roan he releases some of his own only instead of black his are white. They engulf him, Lincoln and Roan causing the shadows wrapping around to retreat as if burned. There's a howl of pain and suddenly Bellamy is screaming as he collapses to the ground unconscious again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murphy and Bellamy finally interact

When Bellamy wakes up he's laying on a bed by a fireplace and can hear voices coming from the other room. He recognizes the one as Lincoln but he's still a bit out of it from what happened earlier and he can't keep his eyes open long enough to focus on what he's saying and soon falls asleep. 

"What happened to him? Almost the exact same thing happened when she tried to take him back in Polis but he should be awake already." Lincoln asks both curious and worried about his friend. 

"I gave him something to help him sleep. He won't wake up for another hour or so. It's nothing dangerous but shadow magic drains the user. Even someone born with the ability can die from using it." Murphy explains as he sits a mug of some type of liquid in front of Lincoln and Roan. 

Roan drinks without hesitation and when nothing happens to him immediately, Lincoln follows. The stuff is unusual and has a sweet taste but he had to admit it was pretty good. 

"Good, right? A friend of mine taught me how to make it. It was his favorite."

"Does he live here too or is it just you?" Lincoln asks and as soon as the words leave his mouth he knew they were a mistake. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It's none of my business anyways. What did you mean when you said you could die from using shadow magic?" Lincoln continues changing the subject. 

"There are many reasons why shadow magic is considered an extinct magic. The truth is no magic can ever truly be extinguished but if it isn't cultivated it will fade and become useless. Shadow magic is the most powerful magic because in order to use it one must straddle the line between light and dark. It's power comes from that balance but if you stray too far to the dark side it consumes the person and eventually kills them. Maintaining the balance takes a great deal of energy and like all elemental abilities that energy comes from the person using it. Most with the ability die shortly after it manifests because they're untrained and it's use drains their life force. That's why I gave your friend something to help him sleep. He's untrained and his use of it is killing him. It's why he passes out after each use." Murphy explains. 

"Does it drain you too?"

"Yes, but over the years I've learned my limits and don't push them. It also helped that my father had it and taught me a few things before he died. The rest I picked up in my travels. A woman named Emori and a man named Mbege also helped me."

"Where are they? Maybe they can help us too." Lincoln inquires hopefully. 

"Emori's gone. I don't know where. I haven't had any contact with her in over 5 years and Mbege is...he's dead."

"Oh I'm..."

"Don't say you're sorry. Everyone says they're sorry but no one ever means it. You can stay here until your friend wakes up but then you need to leave. I can't help you."

"John, you..."

"My name isn't John! It stopped being John a long time ago. It's Murphy." Murphy snaps at Roan as shadows begin to surround him. 

"Murphy, Bellamy will die if you don't help him. Please. At least teach him something helpful before we leave." Lincoln pleads. 

"If he dies, he dies. It's no concern of mine. When he wakes you leave on your own or I make you but either way you're leaving."

Lincoln is about to protest but Roan stops him seeing as how Murphy was barely holding the shadows at bay. Lincoln concedes for the time being but he was far from done.

\-----------------------------------------

Bellamy's dreams are of a happier time. The blue eyed boy is still present but there's another with him. They laugh and play but then things turn darker and shadows overtake everything. The other boy is screaming but then there's a voice telling the blue eyed boy to calm down and breathe. To find his center and relax. As he begins to calm the shadows fade, then there's the feeling of a kiss. It overtakes him and it's nice but then there's pain, fear and anger. 

Bellamy wakes up gasping for air with tears streaming down his cheeks. As his breathing calms and his eyes adjust he notices a figure in the doorway staring at him. At first he thinks it's the blue eyed boy but when he realizes it's Murphy, things begin to click. Murphy turns to leave but Bellamy speaks, stopping him. 

"Wait. You loved him, didn't you?" Murphy doesn't reply but he doesn't leave either so Bellamy continues. 

"He calmed you and kept the darkness at bay but he wasn't strong enough, was he? He could only calm the storm, not stop it and as your fire grew his became extinguished, right?"

"He was always able to calm me down and I never understood how until we meet Roan. He was only a Prince then but he tried to help Mbege become stronger but there was always this part of him that was holding him back. Roan told me when he brought us here that one day Mbege would have to either embrace that part of himself or die and he...he..." Murphy explains in a quiet, broken voice. 

"He loved you too, you know? I felt it just like I felt yours for him."

"It still wasn't enough, was it? I wasn't enough. Emori was right, my love is a death sentence." Murphy says and Bellamy can tell he's tired of being alone but afraid to let someone else in. 

"It's not, Murphy. It's..." Bellamy tries reassuring him but he cuts him off. 

"What else have you seen? What else have you felt?"

"You're father's execution and you're mother's death. Your anger and pain. Your happiness. I can't explain any of it or why you seemed so familiar when I'd never even met you." Bellamy tells him slightly confused by it all. 

"We've met before, Bellamy Blake but it was a long time ago. We were kids but you were whisked away to the Ark while I was left in the slums hoping my shadow magic would fade away which only managed to make it stronger. Kind of ironic that the things they did to try to make my shadow magic fade only made it stronger." Murphy says bitterly. 

"I thought everyone with three or more abilities were sent to the Ark?"

"They were supposed to be but shadow magic is the only hereditary form of elemental magic. Someone in your family has to have it in order for you too. My father had it and when it was the first to manifest with me I was cast aside. Forget the fact that I also have the ability of fire, water, earth and air, I had shadow magic which made me expendable and worthless. A danger to society that needed to be isolated. Mbege was cast aside too but for a different reason. He was a dream walker." Murphy practically spits and Bellamy swears the venom in his words would kill the largest beasts in Arcadia. 

"What's a dream walker?" Bellamy asks because it's something he's never read about but could've sworn his mother had mentioned once or twice. 

"It's what you are. It's how you're able to see and feel things about me. It's an ability almost as dangerous and extinct as shadow magic. Legend says that those with shadow magic were knows as shadow warriors and every shadow warrior had a dream walker that was supposedly made especially for them. That prefect compliment, that one person who could not only calm the fire but extinguish it. They kept their specific warrior in check, balanced them so they never strayed too far to one side or the other. Too far into the light and the shadow magic became useless but too far into the dark and it consumed the person. While every dream walker could calm and influence any shadow warrior, there was only one specific dream walker who could keep their shadow warrior in perfect balance without killing themselves because sooner or later the shadows would consume them if they weren't the one." Murphy pauses as if deep in thought and Bellamy takes the opportunity to say something. 

"Mbege wasn't your dream walker, was he? But you both knew that, didn't you?"

"We tried to make things work and for a while they did and we were happy but about a year ago I had a really bad night and it was too much for him. I woke up to him screaming but by the time I got everything in check, it was too late. He died in my arms." Murphy wipes the tears that had started to fall away and turns to leave the room but Bellamy's hand on his arm stops him. 

"I know you hate the word sorry so I'm not gonna say it but I need your help. She took my sister, the only family I have left and I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I get you wanting to stay out of it and I'm not gonna force you to join us but I am asking you to give us a fighting chance. Help me understand what I am and how to use it. Please, Murphy." Bellamy pleads in a soft voice. 

Murphy stares at him for a bit before removing Bellamy's hand from his arm and walking away but before he reaches the end of the hall he says "there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry. You can stay the night and I'll give you what I can for your journey back home in the morning."

Bellamy is about to protest but Murphy is suddenly engulfed in shadows and is gone. He's frustrated and pissed off at Murphy for refusing to help but oddly enough understands his decision completely. Once he's calmed enough, he heads to the kitchen for some food and once he's done, goes back to the room he was in to sleep. He passes Lincoln who looks just as unhappy as he does and he reassures him he'll try persuading Murphy again before they leave in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murphy has a rough night.

As Bellamy and Lincoln sleep, Roan makes his way outside where Murphy is looking at the stars. They stand there in silence for a bit before either of them says anything. 

"They'll die if they go up against her."

"We'll all die if no one tries to stop her. The few for the many, right?"

"Please Roan, you don't believe that shit any more than I do. Some people are worth saving and some aren't while others were just meant to be forgotten."

"You're not forgotten Murphy and I doubt Bellamy could forget you if he tried. Give them something helpful, at least. He's strong, I can feel it and so is his magic. Help him unlock that part that's holding him back." Roan says as he lays a hand on Murphy's shoulder.

"Like you did with Mbege?" Murphy replies bitterly. 

"That wasn't my doing. I showed him the part he was keeping hidden but he refused to except it."

"What was it? Why won't you tell me?" Murphy questions. 

"Because it's not my place and just because he's dead doesn't make it okay to tell you. When the time is right for you to know, you'll know and until then it will remain a mystery."

"I hate it when you talk in fucking riddles. It makes my head hurt. I'm going to bed." Murphy says walking past Roan and into the cabin. 

Roan follows shortly after and heads to the couch where he falls asleep a few minutes later. 

\--------------------- 

The days events had been draining and Murphy just wanted to sleep but knew his dreams wouldn't let him. As he'd done every night since Mbege's death he prepared himself for the nightmares to come and prayed the shadows didn't kill everyone in the house. His dreams started like they always did with happier times before they were morphed into the horrors that were his life. His father's execution, his mother's pushing and meddling in his dreams where she would distort the happy ones and make them sad or horrible in some other way. 

Then Mbege's death would replay and his mother's sickeningly sweet voice would say "why didn't you help him? Why weren't you good enough to keep him alive. You're poison and death is the only thing you're good at." Her voice always ended with that same sentence as it changed to something much harsher. It was always the same pattern of events but tonight something changed. Something was there that shouldn't have been. No not something, someone. A dream walker but not a familiar one or perhaps a familiar one that he wished would go away. He followed the feeling and when he saw them, he lost control. 

\--------------------- 

Shadows engulfed the house, encasing it in a cocoon of blackness that began sucking the air from everything inside. Roan stumbled to Murphy's room and tried to wake him up but the shadows knocked him back and cut off any other attempts to reach Murphy. Lincoln tried waking Bellamy with much the same result only without being thrown by shadows. When their attempts to leave the cabin left them face to face with a wall of darkness Roan spoke.

"Only Bellamy can save us now because if he can't we're dead."

Roan sat cross legged on the grass and began to meditate. Lincoln followed his lead knowing that saving their energy and reducing their breathing would keep them alive long enough for Bellamy to hopefully get through to Murphy. 

\--------------------- 

In his dream Murphy is arguing with the dream walker, trying to force him out but he can't. The dream walker simply laughs at him and says "foolish shadow warrior only another dream walker can push me out." Murphy lunges at him but instead of hitting him, he hits Mbege who pleads "why did you let me die? Why are you so worthless and pathetic? I let myself die because it was the only way to be rid of you." 

"Stop it! You're not real. Mbege would never say that. He loved me."

"Yes he did but did you ever truly love him? Did you?"

Murphy falls to his knees, holding his head as he rocks back and forth whispering "leave me alone. You're not real" over and over as the voices grow louder and louder until suddenly there's nothing. He's surrounded by silence but he doesn't dare look up for fear it might be a trick. 

There's a sudden gentle touch on his shoulder and the shock of it has him recoiling in fear until he hears a deep soothing voice.

"Murphy, look up. He's gone. It's just me and you, I promise. Please John, look at me."

The touch on his hand is light and tentative as Murphy slowly raises his head to see Bellamy looking at him with concern. 

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good. You?"

"I'm fine. I think. This isn't gonna follow me when I wake up, is it?" Bellamy asks pointing to his busted lip and bruised cheek. 

"Unfortunately it is. It's a danger of being a dream walker. A kind of reminder of what happened."

"Well that sucks. Who was that?"

"No one, just another corrupt dream walker. How did you know I was in trouble?" Murphy asks avoiding the subject of the rogue dream walker. 

"I'm not sure. There was this feeling of dread and then I was hit with this overwhelming wave of fear and suddenly I saw you curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth like a scared child with this huge person leaning over you. The things he was saying I knew they were lies and that if I didn't stop him you'd be lost forever, so I kick him out. He got a couple hits on me obviously but I was stronger."

"Thanks."

"It's what dream walkers do, right? Now let's see if we can find something happy to help you sleep better, shall we?" Bellamy says with a slight smile, offering Murphy his hand which he takes. 

In the cabin the shadows begin to fade as air rushes back in. Lincoln and Roan breathe a deep sigh of relief when they feel the breeze on their faces and open their eyes to find a sky full of stars staring back at them. They breathe in the air for a bit before heading back in the house where Murphy seems to have a smile on his face which is a rare but welcomed sight. Once everything is checked out, Roan goes back to the couch to get a few more hours sleep while Lincoln sits by Bellamy's bed. Just in case something else happened because he didn't like the bruise on his cheek or the busted lip Bellamy was suddenly sporting.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan and Bellamy come to an agreement about his fire magic problem and the rogue dream walker's identity is revealed but I'm sure most of you already guessed who it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone knows Murphy is 22 and Bellamy is around 26. Everyone else's ages are the same as on the show in relation to Murphy's age meaning Clarke is 23, Octavia 21 and so on.

In Murphy's dream, Bellamy and Murphy are having a conversation while memories of him and his dad play out in the background. 

"Why did you kill your mom? I know it's probably a touchy subject but I feel like a part of you didn't want her dead."

"I don't know if I believe that or not. Don't get me wrong, she was a good mother before but after my dad's execution she changed. They were dream walker and shadow warrior, the prefect match. Something snapped in her after his death and she became someone I no longer recognized. She was cruel and she used her power to invade my dreams where she morphed them into nightmares. One night I was already having nightmares and she made them worse which caused me to lose control. When I woke up she was surrounded by shadows. I started to pull them back but her words and hatred towards me kept replaying in my head so I made them stronger. She may have been my mother but she deserved what she got and I'm not sorry she's gone."

"Mother's shouldn't be like that towards their children no matter what they go through. Mine wasn't always present but she did the best she could and neither me or Octavia ever knew our fathers."

"Fathers? So she's your half sister, then? Same mother but different father, yeah?"

"Yeah. Anyways tell me more about this whole dream walker and shadow warrior connection thing. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing here and most of the time I'm going on a feeling."

"I'm not entirely sure I know what I'm doing either. It's been a long time since I've just sat in my dreams and talked to someone. Mbege could only maintain a few minutes after he was able to calm me down before he had to leave. He wasn't strong enough and I know he knew it but he never left my side. Maybe if he had he'd still be alive."

"He made a choice Murphy and I doubt he regrets it. You can't keep beating yourself up over something that was never your choice to begin with. I'm sure Mbege knew the risks he was taking."

"Why was my life more important than his?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was simply because he loved you or perhaps he knew something that no one else did. Roan cares for you, doesn't he?" Bellamy asks when silence falls between them. 

"I guess. I've known him since I was 12 or 13. Mbege's mother was Ice Nation and before she died she made him promise that he'd find Roan who was the Prince of Azgeda at the time because he could help him understand what he was. There used to be legends that were taught about shadow warriors and dream walkers and apparently they used to be a big deal but when I was younger they never mentioned them."

"Do you know any of the legends?"

"I know some because of my parents and the rest came from a book that Roan gave Mbege. Ice Nation thought it wise to teach their children about all forms of elemental magic whether they possessed it or not and Roan being the Prince was taught more than the basics that everyone else was."

"Will you tell me about the ones you know?" 

"Maybe later. It's almost dawn and we both need to wake up soon."

"You know you're a lot less of an ass in your dreams." Bellamy says as he bumps his shoulder against Murphy's. 

"So I've been told." Murphy says with a smile as he gets up and walks away from Bellamy. 

A few minutes later Bellamy slowly opens his eyes to find Lincoln asleep in a chair beside his bed. He gets up as quietly as possible so not to wake him and heads to the bathroom to get a good look at the damage done to his face. As he places a wet cloth on his lip to clean the blood away he hears footsteps behind him but doesn't turn around knowing it's either Lincoln, Murphy or Roan. 

"Looks like you had a run in with another dream walker which explains the cabin being engulfed in shadows last night. I guess I owe you my life again since this makes the second time you've saved it." Roan says standing in the doorway. 

"Yeah, guess so. Murphy says you were taught about dream walkers and shadow warriors, could you or would you maybe help me understand what I am?" Bellamy asks unsure. 

"I've already helped one dream walker and he's dead, what makes you any different?"

"I'm not him and you seem to know something about me that no one else does. Not to mention the fact that Murphy needs a dream walker and I'm the only one you've got."

"I'll consider it on one condition, you let me help you with your fire magic."

"Why? What difference does it make if I can't use fire magic in an attack?" Bellamy questions. 

"All magic is connected. If one is off then they're all off. You have no idea how strong you can be if all of you is in sync."

"Fine. Then help me be in sync." Bellamy says rolling his eyes like a bored child.

"After we eat. Can't do magic on an empty stomach." Bellamy nods and follows Roan out to the kitchen where the others are already waiting.

\--------------------- 

While all of that was going on in Murphy's cabin, the rogue dream walker was waking up to find A.L.I.E. sitting beside the bed. 

"Well? What the hell happened? You said you could find him, did you?" She snaps impatiently. 

"Yes and no. It seems he has another dream walker whose stronger than the last and they kicked me out."

"You're fucking worthless! Dammit! The whole point of having you get rid of that pathetic excuse for a dream walker he had before was so it would be easier to get him on our side. And now apparently he has a stronger one. How? How the hell did you let this happen?"

"I'd be careful what you say to me if I were you. Remember who keeps your dreams in check and has allowed you to survive this long."

"Are you threatening me, Thelonious?" A.L.I.E. questions menacingly as shadows begin to snake from her fingers. 

"Of course not, my dear, I was simply stating a fact. You need me."

"Check on our guests and make sure they're comfortable. Watch out for Lexa and Octavia, they almost got lose from that incompetent fool Ontari earlier."

"Anything else?"

"No. I don't think I need to remind you that time is running out. We have less than a month to transfer their power to me before it's too late."

"Relax, we'll get the others in time and you'll be unstoppable." Jaha reassures her. 

"You better hope so because of I die you do too."

He nods and heads into the other room where The Elite were being kept. He orders Ontari to get some food for their guests and then walks up to the line of rooms that look almost like cells just with nicer furnishings. He smiles as their guests give him dirty looks, cuss him and call him every name under the sun. He pauses when he gets to Octavia's room and when she sees him she spits in his face and then slams the door. He smiles slightly as he remembers how defiant her father was when facing his own death and how alike the two actually are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.L.I.E.'s cells are actually rooms within the lighthouse and the doors can open and shut for privacy purposes since there is a bathroom in each one but there are cell like doors built in the doorways so that they can't escape without them being opened. Hope that makes sense if not leave a comment and I'll try explaining it better.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy learns more about the dangers of being a dream walker.

Back at Murphy's cabin, Bellamy is essentially getting his ass kicked and it is seriously pissing him off. No matter what he does his fireballs still fizzle out before hitting their target. Roan kept saying he needed to let go of what was holding him back but he had no clue what that was. It was impossible and as if sensing his despair over it, Roan called it quits for a while. 

"We'll pick this back up after you've had lunch and rested a bit. Maybe try another technique next time and see if that gets different results."

"What difference does it make? No matter what I do, I can't do it. Maybe Octavia was right when she said just because I have the power to do it doesn't mean I can."

"Having the power to do it is virtually the same as being able to do it. You have so much power hidden inside of you, Bellamy and all you have to do is unlock it."

"Bullshit! I can't unlock what I don't know anything about." Bellamy snaps angrily before storming out of the cabin. 

Roan sighs and Lincoln follows Bellamy outside to try comforting his friend.

"What's gotten into you lately? I understand you're worried about Octavia but this is something else. I've never known you to quit something just because it was hard. What's going on?" Lincoln asks with genuine concern for his friend. 

"I don't know. I feel like there's this anger inside me that wasn't there before and then at times there's this feeling of being worthless. I have no clue where they're coming from but I think they started around the same time as the dreams about Murphy began." Bellamy confesses putting his head in his hands. 

"So the blue eyed boy in your dreams was him. Could it have something to do with you being a dream walker?"

"Maybe but we never even knew they existed until we met Murphy and Roan. Hell we didn't even know anything about shadow magic until she came. They never prepared us for what was really out there and I kinda wanna know why. Why they lied to us about shadow magic being gone? It makes you wonder what else they kept from us."

"They lied to you to protect you or at least that's what they thought they were doing but in reality they only made you more vulnerable." Roan says from behind them before Lincoln can answer Bellamy.

"That's still just an excuse. There has to be a reason why they stopped teaching us about it. I know they used to because Murphy said his father taught him some things about shadow magic and his mother was a dream walker which apparently was supposed to be a perfect match. Whatever the hell that meant."

"They stopped teaching it and acknowledging it's presence because it was dangerous. You know the dangers of shadow magic but being a dream walker carries it's own set of dangers." Murphy says coming up beside Roan. 

"Like what exactly?" Lincoln asks curiously. 

"Well there's the obvious one being that they can die from the shadows produced by shadow warriors. Some have also been known to get stuck in a person's nightmare and never be able to get back out which throws them into a coma like state before eventually killing them. Because what happens to a dream walker while in someone's dream, happens to their body outside the dream as well." Murphy informs them.

"There's also the fact that prefect matches between shadow warrior and dream walker form a certain bond with each other that can be dangerous. If the bond is strong enough, when one dies, the other does too but even if the bond isn't strong enough there are consequences. The one that lives is forever changed and in most cases no longer resembles the person they were before." Roan interrupts. 

"Which is why they deemed it necessary to forbid teaching or even mentioning anything about it."

"They even went as far as purging all those with the gifts from all records." Roan adds. 

"When you say purge, it doesn't mean what I think it means, does it?" Lincoln asking hoping that his line of thinking was way off but something was telling him he was spot on. 

"They executed them. All of the adults with shadow magic were disposed of and all the children that showed signs of possessing the ability were..."

"Sent away in the hopes that the magic would fade from disuse." Bellamy finishes for Roan.

"Basically. There was a bit more to it than that but that was the gist of it. We in Azgeda heard about the purge because many parents came there seeking refugee for themselves and their children. My mother was skeptical at first until she got confirmation from one of her spies inside Polis."

"Did they kill dream walkers too?" Bellamy asks anxiously. 

"Most dream walkers who didn't die because of the bond with a shadow warrior who was killed went crazy and eventually died or tried to live as much of a normal life as possible."

"But? I know there's a but coming." Bellamy says when Roan doesn't continue. 

"We should practice some more and we can discuss this later." Roan suggests.

"I want to know about it now and not later. You started this discussion and you're gonna finish it." Bellamy demands which earns him being pinned to the wall once again.

"Roan, enough! Go cool off before you piss me off which I know no one wants right now." Murphy says firmly and to both Lincoln's and Bellamy's surprise, Roan does what Murphy says. 

"The shadow warrior/dream walker bond is a touchy subject for him and when he's ready to talk about it in depth, he will but until then wait. Let him discuss it on his terms otherwise he may very well kill you."

Bellamy nods reluctantly deciding that Murphy was right and he couldn't help Octavia or the others if he was dead. Murphy heads back into the house to check and make sure Roan isn't destroying anything while Lincoln and Bellamy stay outside a bit longer.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia, Clarke and the others are at A.L.I.E. and Jaha's mercy and they learn more about the purge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.L.I.E. isn't an AI like in the show but she can't exactly be considered human either. You'll find out exactly what she is later on.

In Polis Kane and Abby were trying to deal with angry parents and citizens who wanted them to do something to get the children back instead of nothing. They wanted the army assembled to get them back but as Kane kept informing them an army was useless when you didn't know where to send it. They assured the people that they had sent someone after someone who could help and that at the moment all they could do was wait which of course wasn't sitting well with a lot of people. In the end it was Indra, Polis' battle commander and Lexa's second in command who convinced the people that Kane was right and calmed them down. 

Meanwhile in A.L.I.E.'s lighthouse Clarke was trying to figure out what her end game was while Monty and Raven tried finding a way out. The lighthouse was pretty advanced technologically from the rest of their world but since Raven and Monty were the best when it came to mechanics and engineering she had no doubt they'd figure something out. 

"How is it you have shadow magic? We were told it was extinct." Clarke asks A.L.I.E. when she comes to check on them.

"Not extinct just dormant. You see magic in any form once manifested can't become extinct, it simply lies dormant from disuse until needed again. Your leaders have made you foolish and weak by allowing you to believe magic can be extinct. The only way to kill the magic is to kill the user and even then the magic is simply absorbed back into the earth to be used again."

"I knew they were lying to us. I knew there was no way to kill a magical power when we're taught that magic is everywhere and in everything. It just didn't make sense." Octavia chimes in. 

"So why is there no one else alive who possess the ability of shadow magic except you?" Clarke questions. 

"Well Mrs. Griffin, that would be my fault but it was on her orders. You see the world had to be cleansed of shadow magic so that she was the only one left with it which would make it easier for her to take over."

"Wait, the purge was real? I mean it really happened? I thought it was a myth, a story told to scare children away from shadow magic and those with it." Miller states in disbelief.

"The purge was very real, Nathan and some of your parents took part in it. Unwillingly of course and I expected more of a fight from some of them but others didn't disappoint. Take your father for example Mrs. Blake, he put up one hell of a fight and nearly got away but in the end he fell just like the others." Jaha informs them with a wicked and condescending grin on his face. 

"You knew my father? Wait, that means he didn't leave us, did he? I could of, we could of, you son of a bitch!" Octavia yells picking up the tray of food and hurling it through the bars at Jaha's head nearly hitting him but he simply laughs at her.

"Just like your father. I wonder if your brother is anything like his." He states off handedly as his and A.L.I.E.'s attention is turned to Lexa who speaks next. 

"Gustus was right about you. I always thought he was being paranoid when he forbid me to go to The Ark with The Elite but he didn't want me near you. Him and Anya both saw you for exactly what you were."

"Yes and they were part of the force that put me to sleep for nearly 15 years. If it wasn't for Thelonious I wouldn't be alive. He was able to give me enough warning so that I was able to cocoon myself in shadows and make them think they'd killed me."

"You were planning on coming back sooner, weren't you? But something happened and you couldn't, right?" Monty says.

"Things didn't go exactly as planned, no and we had to improvise. Thelonious was supposed to remain in power but he was essentially thrown out of office."

"That was your father's doing, Clarke." Jaha interrupts. 

"The plan was that while he remained in power he would inform me of the strongest in each type of elemental magic so that they could feed me. My magic isn't what it used to be and the cocoon took more out of me than I anticipated." A.L.I.E. continues ignoring Jaha's remark.

"You're dying, aren't you? That's what you meant by feed you, isn't it? You're not strong enough for the magic you possess. You've never been strong enough which was why you needed Jaha's help in getting us." Raven deduces.

"Told you she was smart."

"You think that by stealing our magic that you'll be strong enough to contain yours but you're wrong. You're weak and you've always been weak which is why you're dying. Magic needs someone strong and it doesn't matter how many of us you drain, you'll always need more because your mind and body are weak." Raven taunts and just as she's about to say something else a tendril of shadows comes flying towards her, pinning her to the wall by her neck. 

"You will do well to keep your mouth shut! I am stronger than you'll ever be and maybe it's time I remind you of that." She says smiling deviously at Raven. 

She snaps her fingers and shadows engulf all of them. When the shadows fade a few seconds later, they're all unconscious. 

"Make them relive their greatest fears over and over again until I tell you otherwise. They need to know who really holds the power here and I don't have to remind you to keep them alive, do I?"

"Of course not. They'll know fear but I'll ensure they remain alive." Jaha assures A.L.I.E.

She smiles at him as she leaves him to his work but her smile fades when she's out of sight. She couldn't deny the fact that the mechanic's words got under her skin but she couldn't let it get to her too much or she'd lose focus which would surely lead to her death. She had come too far to not get what she wanted. She was certain their power would be enough to sustain her but she headed to her room to run the numbers again just in case.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan learns some interesting things about Bellamy and possibly the problem with his fire magic.

"You need to talk about it, you know. The purge affected a lot of people and not just those in Polis or The Ark. They never taught us what we actually needed to know and most believe the purge was a story used to scare children like the boogeyman or something." Murphy says when he finds Roan out front practicing with his swords. 

"I can't help him if I'm unfocused.Talking about it and thinking about it clouds my abilities which means I can't see what's holding him back. There's a lot of power within him but he's barely using half of it. He's like you in that respect."

"You know why I only use that much."

"I do but I also know to defeat her for real you may have to use all of it."

"What do you see when you look at him? Is it like Mbege or different?"

"What identifies him as a dream walker is the same but everything else is different. He has shadow magic Murphy, I've seen it but it's different. It's not dark but light which is impossible, right?"

"Hey, don't look at me. I came to you to learn about shadow magic, remember? So if you don't know than neither do I. Although I remember it burning when his shadows touched mine which was weird because shadows can't hurt shadows."

There's a long pause between them like they're both unsure of how to continue the conversation until Murphy has an idea. 

"You can see the intensity and type of power someone has by looking at them but what do you see when they use it? Is it possible to find something to maybe identify why his magic works the way it does that way?"

"Possibly but I've never done that before. I've always been able to tell everything I needed to know just by looking at them."

"But you said yourself that Bellamy's different and if that's the case then maybe it's time for a different approach. I mean it's worth a try, right?"

"Okay. So how do we do this?"

"I guess I'll deal with the training and you watch, yeah?" Murphy says slightly unsure. 

"Yeah but let's start with fire magic since its his weakest aside from shadow. You know what to do?"

Murphy nods as Bellamy makes his way out onto the porch, ready to begin training again. Lincoln stays just inside the door so that he's not too close to them while training and could duck and cover if he needed to.

"We're gonna try something a bit different this time around. Murphy is gonna attack you while I watch and this way I can better determine what your issue is in regards to fire magic."

As soon as Roan was finished talking Murphy hit Bellamy with a fireball. Or at least he tried to because Bellamy deflected it easily but didn't send one back or mount a counter attack. 

"Bellamy you have to attack him back otherwise there's no point. Your defenses for magic is fine, it's your offense that we need to work on. Now attack Murphy." Roan orders from the porch. 

Bellamy sighs and reluctantly readies a fireball to throw at Murphy. Once he's satisfied with the size, he throws it at him but as with all his fireballs, it fizzles out on contact.

"Again!" Roan bellows.

For the next hour or so Bellamy throws fireballs at Murphy and all of them fizzle out on contact. He's so frustrated and over his stupid fire magic that in a fit of anger he hurls a fireball at the cabin except this time instead of fizzling out, it hits it's mark. 

Roan quickly puts out the fire and says "well I think now we know what your problem is or at the very least a place to start. You hold things in, don't you?"

"Maybe but what does that have to do with my fire magic being off?"

"All magic needs balance and different types employ different emotions to keep that balance. Fire magic uses anger which is probably why Murphy is so good at it. However when you suppress that anger, it effects your magic. You need to embrace your anger in order for you to be able to use fire magic in attacks." Roan informs him. 

"So what now?" Lincoln asks from the doorway of the cabin. 

"Now he rests for a bit and we pick this back up later on. We don't want to tire him out too soon."

Bellamy heads inside with Lincoln close behind but Murphy and Roan stay on the porch waiting until both are out of earshot before speaking.

"What did you see?"

"You and him have almost the same aura around you when you use fire magic for attacks. I've never seen two people have an aura that identical. Once we get his fire magic down I want to see if your auras are the same with all forms of magic."

"And if they are, then what?"

"I don't know. I'm figuring this out as I go along."

"We're screwed, aren't we?"

"Not yet but if we can't figure this out we might be pretty damn close."

"I really fucking hate doing the right damn thing." Murphy says with a sigh as he makes his way into the cabin with Roan close behind. 

The next day Bellamy wakes up feeling strange and he's not sure why. He didn't dream walk last night or at least he doesn't remember doing it but for some reason the phrase The Key is stuck in his head. He mostly ignores the light conversation at breakfast as he tries to remember what he dreamed about last night. He doesn't even realize anyone's talking to him until Lincoln nudges his side turning his focus back to the conversation.

"You okay? You seem out of it or like something's wrong." Lincoln asks concerned. 

"I'm fine. I just had a really weird dream last night that I can't remember."

"If you can't remember it than how do you know it was weird?" Roan asks looking at him intently. 

"Just a feeling. You ever heard of The Key?" Bellamy questions and an uneasiness falls over the table and Murphy and Roan look at each other like a ghost from their pasts had resurfaced but otherwise remain silent. 

"I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that whatever The Key is it's a bad thing." Lincoln says breaking the silence. 

"No training for today. Murphy is the basement still intact?"

"You know it is." Murphy replies like it's the only answer there is to his question. 

Without another word Roan gets up and heads to the basement. Murphy begins to clean up breakfast but Bellamy notices he's a bit tense. Lincoln decides to check on the horses and leave Bellamy and Murphy alone for a bit which Bellamy was thankful for because he wasn't sure Murphy would tell him anything otherwise. 

He begins to help Murphy clean up the dishes who doesn't really seem to notice he presence until their hands accidentally brush together startling him. 

He's about to say something but Murphy puts the plate in his hand down, turns around to lean against the counter and runs his fingers through his hair before taking a deep breath and speaking. 

"Mbege mentioned The Key once. It was a few days before he died but I'd heard both my parents mention it as a child. I never asked them about it though. You said you can't remember the dream but do you remember the feelings you felt?"

"Some of them but mostly there's this strange uneasiness about the whole thing."

"Tell me what you felt." Murphy asks curiously. 

"There's a lot of anger and pain but there's also a hint of fear and loneliness. Yet the underlying feeling throughout all of it was evil, like ancient evil. An old magic kinda evil. I don't know, it's hard to explain it."

"Mbege said it called to him, that it wanted him to join it or something but it felt wrong. He didn't really explain much more than that because he said it gave him a creepy uneasy feeling and he didn't like talking about it."

"It was kinda like that except I don't remember it calling me to join it. Why did Roan leave like that and what's so important about the basement?" Bellamy changed the subject because he didn't wanna talk about his dream anymore. 

"There's a library of sorts in the basement that his family has collected over the years. Only his family knows about this place and since he's the last left he figured I'd be safer here than anywhere else."

"Why? Why did he feel the need to keep you safe and what kind of books are down there?"

"I don't know. I never asked and that goes for both questions. I'm gonna go practice outside, you good to finish up here?"

Bellamy nods and Murphy leaves the kitchen but the subject wasn't over because he got the distinct feeling that Murphy knew more than he was telling. However he wasn't gonna push mainly because he didn't wanna die from suffocation by shadows which he knew would happen if Murphy lost control. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captured Elite's nightmares come true, sorta.

She keeps running but never seems to get anywhere and the darkness just keeps getting closer. She can see her brother's face and even hear his voice calling her but every time she thinks she's reached him, he's farther away and the darkness is closer than before. She's not sure how much longer she can keep going, everything hurts and she knows adrenaline and fear are all that's keeping her moving forward.

Suddenly there's another voice calling to her. A voice she recognizes as Lincoln's and changes directions towards it. Just when she thinks she can't go another step, she sees him smiling at her and she collapses in his awaiting arms. She looks back frantically for the darkness but it's gone and just as she's about to breathe a sigh of relief, Lincoln begins to laugh. A horrible, broken and distorted laugh. One that doesn't sound human. She looks up in horror as he morphs into this huge monster made of pure darkness with glowing red eyes and razor sharp teeth. She tries to move but can't because she's being swallowed by the darkness and before she can scream everything goes black.

\--------------------- 

She slowly makes her way over to the infirmary, unsure of why her mother would ask her to come since she had Jackson to help her. As she walks into the room she notices a bed with a white sheet covering a body and no one else in sight. Her hand is shaking as she reaches for the sheet but she freezes before she can pull it off the body. Suddenly the sheet falls off to reveal her father's lifeless body, starting at her with soulless eyes.

She backs away in horror running into what feels like a person and slowly turns to find her mother staring at her with black eyes. She stumbles back into the stretcher with her father's body on it and a hand grabs her wrist, holding her in place as her mother gets closer. Out of nowhere she sees a flash of black that cuts her mother down to reveal Lexa. 

Lexa pulls her out of the room as her father's body rises off the stretcher. She's led into a room where they barricade the door. They embrace each other happily but as Clarke pulls back to look at her she sees Lexa has no eyes, just empty sockets and as she screams darkness takes her. 

\--------------------- 

Gustus' and Anya's heads land at her feet as Cage laughs maniacally as he approaches her. She gets into a fighting stance, preparing for battle but a shot rings out and he falls to his knees to reveal Clarke. They embrace but a menacing laugh echoes through the building causing them to run. When they find shelter there's no relief because a strange whistling sound is heard. They step outside in time to see a missile hit the ground, blowing her away from Clarke. 

Lexa slowly comes to and opens her eyes to see a figure lumbering towards her through the dust clouds. When the figure can be seen clearly part of them is melted off and to her horror it's Clarke. She starts to scream but darkness and shadows swallow the sound before all goes black. 

\--------------------- 

She watches from the darkness of the doorway, hidden from view as Clarke and Finn kiss. She turns to walk away when things become more heated between them but suddenly Clarke reaches into Finn's chest and rips out his heart. She smiles as Raven screams and before she can run away Clarke is in front of her trying to shove the heart down her throat. She pulls away in horror but is stopped by Finn grabbing her arms from behind.

She tries to get away but as she twists out of his grip his arm comes with her and Clarke begins to cackle at her. As Clarke's eyes go from black to empty sockets shadows appear out of nowhere surrounding her in darkness and as her lungs begin burn from lack of oxygen everything goes black. 

\--------------------- 

Miller sees his father murdering both his mother and this guy named Bryan he sorta likes before turning his attention to him. However just as he's about to deal the killing blow, everything goes black. 

\---------------------

Monty is stabbed in the back by Jasper and as he crawls away his parents laugh at him with soulless eyes and razor sharp teeth. Raven helps him to safety but it's short lived as she's shot in the back by Harper who then turns the gun on him. As the gun cocks and he prepares for the shot, silence fills the room and when he opens his eyes all he sees is darkness. 

\---------------------

Jasper has to watch as everyone he's ever cared about is murdered in front of him. He tries running and turning away but he's frozen in place watching as the scenes unfold before him. He tries to scream but no sound comes out. In fact the only sound he hears is a laugh that reverberates through him making his skin crawl. The laughter stops and a figure appears in front of him. Once they come into focus he sees Monty who reaches into his chest and grabs his heart. As Monty squeezes it, it gets harder to breathe and soon darkness takes him. 

\---------------------

Harper is running down endless hallways trying to escape the shadows that appear to be steering her somewhere but she's not sure why. She's soon turned down what seems to be a dead end but just as the shadows reach her a door opens from nowhere and she falls through it. The scene before her is anything but pleasant as she sees her friends being used as puppets that are controlled by Monty who has black eyes and an inhumanly large grin. She screams alerting him to her presence and he opens his mouth causing shadows to shoot out, engulfing her in darkness. 

\--------------------- 

A.L.I.E. surveys the scene as all of The Elite lay dreaming in their cells/rooms.

"I trust they are sufficiently terrified." She says to Jaha who sits in the center of the room. 

"Of course and all still alive as promised."

"Good. That should keep them out of the way for a while. Now go deal with that new dream walker Murphy has. I want him gone like the last one. Understood?"

"Yes. I'll make sure of it."

"You better." She threatens Jaha as she leaves the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Key makes an appearance, sort of and Bellamy has a moment of familiarity with Murphy.

Murphy brings a plate of food down to Roan around lunchtime but he barely acknowledges it or his presence. When he comes back a few hours later and it's still untouched he sighs in exasperation but takes the plate anyways without saying a word. However when he returns for the dinner plate that he'd left for him that is also untouched, he says something. 

"You know starving yourself isn't gonna help things. You need to eat. Have you at least found something helpful in whatever you are searching for?"

"Yes and no."

"Well, what the hell does that mean?"

"These books have been collected by my family for centuries and they speak of many things but knowledge of this Key is limited. All I've been able to find is that it's ancient and dangerous." Roan says obviously frustrated. 

"Maybe you aren't looking in the right place?"

"What do you mean?" Roan asks slightly confused.

"The Key has only ever been talked about by dream walkers and the only shadow warrior I've heard talk about it was my dad who was bonded to one, so maybe you should look there." Murphy suggests.

Roan nods and begins grabbing books about dream walkers and those bonded to shadow warriors. As he sits at the table with a new stack of books he starts picking at the food on the plate causing Murphy to smile a bit and head back upstairs leaving him in peace. 

"He found anything yet?" Bellamy asks as Murphy enters the kitchen. 

"Nothing useful but he's still looking. I'm sure by morning he'll have something." He assures them. 

"You don't exactly sound sure of that statement." Lincoln notes. 

"There's a lot of books with a lot of information down there, so it's possible that even with him looking all night he'll find nothing. Although if something is down there we can use, he'll find it."

"I hope so because every second we waste here is another farther away from Octavia and the others." Lincoln states. 

"True but Bellamy said that A.L.I.E. needs him, Roan and me before she can complete the ritual for the power transfer which means as long as we're all here they're still safe." Murphy points out and Lincoln has to agree because he knows he's right. 

The 3 of them stay up and talk a while before Lincoln and Bellamy head to bed but Murphy goes back downstairs to check on Roan's progress. He finds him furiously scribbling things down on paper and grabs the empty plate quietly, heading back upstairs, leaving him to his work. 

Murphy lays awake for a few minutes before there's a small knock on his door. It's open so he can see the outline of Bellamy's figure in the doorway but doesn't say anything. A few seconds later Bellamy asks "can I come in and talk to you about something?"

"Depends on what it is?"

Bellamy seems caught off guard by his answer at first but then slowly makes his way into the room. He sits beside the bed, takes a deep breath and tells Murphy what's bothering him.

"Roan sees things when he looks at people, doesn't he? It's not just fire magic and it's potential in a person but something more, right?"

"Get to the point Blake." Murphy says off hand and Bellamy freezes.

Murphy looks at him strangely before Bellamy shakes his head and says "I remember you now or at least there's something more familiar about you. It's weird but that one simple phrase was something you said to me a lot, wasn't it? "

"You had a tendency to beat around the bush instead of just saying what you wanted to say and that phrase would frustrate you just enough to make you spit it out. Now spit it out."

"Roan saw something when we were training, didn't he? Something that makes me different from everyone else, right?"

"Everyone is different from everyone else, Bellamy."

"Now who's beating around the bush." Bellamy teases causing Murphy to roll his eyes. 

"Look, all he said was you're similar to Mbege but you're also different from him and that he needed time to figure out why. So stop worrying about it and get some sleep."

Bellamy could see that Murphy was done with the conversation and decided to head back to his room to get some sleep. Murphy stares at the ceiling for a few hours after Bellamy leaves before he finally falls asleep but when he does he finds that for the first time since he was a child his sleep is peaceful without nightmares. However, Bellamy's sleep and dreams are a different story.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Key is revealed as is a bit of Bellamy's parentage.

Bellamy saw Octavia running through the woods and yelled her name in an attempt to get her attention. She turns towards his voice but soon changes direction when she hears someone else. He watches in horror as a series of scenes flashes before his eyes of his friends and their nightmares. 

"You aren't supposed to be here." A voice says from behind him and when he turns he's face to face with the rogue dream walker. 

However before he can say any more or do anything to him a blinding white light appears and when it's gone so is the dream walker and Bellamy is no longer in the woods. He's in some kind of white room with no door or windows and begins to panic, thinking that he's somehow been locked in a dream. Suddenly there's another flash of white light and when it disappears there's a person in its place who looks exactly like A.L.I.E..

"Where am I? Where are my friends and what do you want with us?" He demands angrily. 

"Relax Bellamy, you're safe here. I'm not who you think I am. My name is Becca, A.L.I.E. was my twin sister and I brought you here because I need your help."

"How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know you're not some trick from that other dream walker?" Bellamy asks unsure if he should believe her. 

"Search your feelings Bellamy, you know I mean you no harm."

Bellamy is silent for a few minutes as he allows himself to take everything in around him and sure enough what he felt was different from what he'd felt with either the dream walker or A.L.I.E.. There was something else there too and as he focused on it he looked at her in shock as the realization hit him. 

"You're The Key, aren't you? Or at least the part that's lonely and in pain."

"I am but I'm also not. There's a lot you need to know and far too little time to tell you but at least I can give you something for your friend Roan's search."

Bellamy looks at her confused and is about to say something when she holds up her hand to stop him. 

"This will go quicker if you just listen. Perhaps when I'm finished there will be time for your questions."

Bellamy nods for her to continue but before she starts she waves her hand causing one of the walls to become like a video screen. 

"This will play things out as I tell them because some of the details are to horrific for words to effectively describe them. What I'm about to tell you is essentially the history of both Arcadia and shadow warriors/dream walkers."

Bellamy listens closely to the story that Becca tells him.

\---------------------

A.L.I.E. and Becca were twins and the first shadow warrior and dream walker to ever exist. In their time shadow warriors and dream walkers were the elite of the elite and they never had to worry about the darkness taking over because they were paired with their prefect match and as long as they were together darkness never came. Becca was obviously paired with A.L.I.E. but she didn't realize how angry and resentful her sister already was until it was too late. 

Becca was like Bellamy and had the ability to use every form of elemental magic including shadow but A.L.I.E. could only use shadow which was fine with Becca because they were sisters and none of that mattered to her. However A.L.I.E. became jealous which turned into anger which turned into resentment which allowed the evil that hid within the shadows an opening through which to enter our world. 

Becca was able to keep the darkness at bay for a time but she fell in love and when she became pregnant A.L.I.E. lost it. They had a huge fight about everything and A.L.I.E. stormed off. Becca gave her time to cool down thinking it would blow over like all fights between siblings eventually do but she had underestimated her sister's hate towards her and the hold that the darkness had on her. Becca comes home to find her husband dead and A.L.I.E. staring at the corpse. She was about to go to her sister to ask what happened but something changed. She was suddenly able to see the darkness swirling around her sister and feel the anger and hatred within it and instantly knew what A.L.I.E. had done.

Before she could get out A.L.I.E. attacked her but she was able to use her abilities to get away. She fled to the Temple of The Elders, a place where the first elementals had come to worship and commune with those that gave them their power. It has since been forgotten but in Becca's time it was where you went for guidance or sanctuary and since she was in need of both it was only logical she wound up there.

However what surprised her was that the place wasn't empty. There was what appeared to be a priest standing at the center of the temple who seemed to be waiting for her. He told her that what was happening to her sister had happened long ago when shadow magic first entered the world and that it had to be extinguished soon after because of The Key. 

The Key is an ancient darkness that uses anger and fear to find the most suitable host to carry it's form into the world of light. It's goal is to plunge the world into darkness and eternal suffering and it uses shadows to achieve it. Once it's found a suitable host and enters our world it needs power to sustain itself until it can find a more compatible host. A.L.I.E. was it's host but it wanted Becca because she was more powerful and could sustain it longer. 

Becca trained under the priest, at least that's what she called him until after her child was born and then she left her son with the priest where he'd be safe to go fight her sister. She had wanted to save her but he had told her that that wasn't an option because she was no longer her sister, she was The Key now. 

Becca wasn't sure she believed that but when she saw the death and destruction that her sister had wrought while she was away, she began to think that maybe he was right. She managed to find what was left of the dream walkers and shadow warriors and enlisted their help. She told them what they needed to do but the final blow had to come from her. The priest had told her how to send it back to the shadows and drilled into her the importance of not letting it get her. 

When the time came to end things she sent the evil back to the shadows but couldn't kill her sister which was what The Key had been counting on. It tried to take her in her sleep but she fooled it because it needed both a willing and living host to inhabit, once she felt it enter her, she sacrificed herself to send it back to the darkness. However she was able to lock a part of her away inside A.L.I.E.'s dreams and mind in the hopes that someone would come along that could finally stop The Key for good. 

She didn't realize that The Key had done the same thing and that her sister would continue carrying him. The world was safe for a while because since her sister was an inferior host, it needed to conserve it's energy for a time when shadow warriors and dream walkers returned to the world. That happened a few centuries later when The Eilte were born and not long after a young dream walker awakened A.L.I.E. and when he was older and in power, the purge happened.

The purge wasn't because of shadow magic being dangerous but because A.L.I.E. feared them finding their prefect match and fighting against her. Shadows are the only thing that can fight shadows and with her in an inferior host, she was weak and vulnerable and unable to survive an attack from them. 

Becca stops the images suddenly on one of two young boys playing near the water with what appeared to be shadow magic but where one's shadows were black the other was white and upon closer inspection Bellamy realized who they were; him and Murphy. 

"You're special Bellamy and always have been, ever since the day you were born. Your father was a shadow warrior and although your mother wasn't a dream walker, you are both."

"Is that why my shadows are white like that? Why don't I remember that day or Murphy?"

"Light repels darkness and your light has a purpose, a very important one at that. She/The Key is looking for a new host and she's found one but she doesn't have much time."

"The little girl from Azgeda told me she was dying."

"She is and if she doesn't inhabit her new host within the next three weeks, my sister will die."

"So we just let her die. If she needs the new host then we just wait her out, right?"

"Normally that would work fine but The Key isn't just in my sister, it's also in the dream walker that's with her. So even if she dies, he has another body lined up. It's also inferior and the amount of energy it would take for it to take over the body fully would require the draining of your friends that she's captured."

"So even if we wait until she's dead my sister and friends still die. Why?"

"I'm afraid so. The whole point of capturing your friends and your sister was..."

"Was so I'd find Murphy. Murphy is it's host, isn't he? That's why he has nightmares, right? It's The Key trying to get him like it got A.L.I.E., isn't it?" Bellamy states realizing that he's been used to find the one thing she couldn't.

"Yes but she can't get him."

"Well duh, that's obvious."Bellamy interrupts her. 

"No, I mean yes but that's not what I'm talking about. The Key can't get a hold of Murphy. It's been trying since his father was killed in the purge. His mother was even kept alive in the hopes that she'd help turn him in her grief and pain but all she'd managed to do was make his life miserable. Something kept him from giving in and accepting the darkness. Mbege was an inferior dream walker for Murphy but he kept the darkness away, at least momentarily and he was killed in the hopes that it would be easier to get Murphy but something was still stopping it. I think that it's you. I believe that the little bit of time you two spent together as children allowed you to somehow give him some of your light."

"If that's the case then why couldn't I remember anything about him until your sister showed up? And even then I didn't realize we knew each other until he pointed it out to me and you showed me that." Bellamy says pointing to the wall that's still frozen on them as children. 

"To protect him. You aren't just any shadow warrior/dream walker Bellamy, you're his. You're his perfect match, his protector. You are the reason he's been able to hold out against the darkness for so long but..."

"He's getting tired of fighting and being alone. If she can get rid of me and Roan, she'll have a free and clear path to Murphy. That's why she needs us, not to drain us of our power but to kill us on front of him, showing him there's no hope."

"Yes but there's another reason she wants Roan dead besides that one. He's the last living descendent of the priest who helped me all those years ago and you Bellamy Blake are the last living descendent of my son."

Before Bellamy could even ask or process what she just said he's pulled from his sleep by a soft and distant knocking. He slowly opens his eyes to find Murphy standing in the doorway to his room looking a bit confused. 

"I came to see if you were awake and wanted breakfast. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine. Is Roan still downstairs?"

"Yeah, why? I'm about to go give him some food if you want to come along?" Murphy says picking up on something in Bellamy's voice. 

"Yeah I think that would be good. Give me a bit and I'll be right out."

Murphy nods before heading back out to the kitchen to fix Roan's plate and wait for Bellamy to fully wake up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Key and A.L.I.E. will be used interchangeably throughout the rest of the chapters.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan and Murphy learn the truth about A.L.I.E. and The Key.

Bellamy finds Murphy in the kitchen waiting for him. He grabs a few pieces of meat and bread before following Murphy down to the basement to see Roan. When they find him, he's asleep at the table with open books scattered everywhere. Murphy gently shakes him awake causing him to knock some papers on the floor. Bellamy picks them up and hands them to him but waits until he's fully awake before he says anything about his dream or The Key. 

"You found anything yet?" Murphy asks sitting the plate down beside Roan. 

"Yes and no. There's some useful stuff but most of its dated before the purge since both people and information were destroyed during it. The problem is that the stuff before is way before my time and in a language I'm not familiar with. It's some language that's only referred to as..."

"The language of the Temple of Elders." Bellamy says causing Roan to look at him in confusion and suspicion. 

"How did you..." Roan begins but Murphy cuts him off. 

"He had a dream about The Key again."

Now it was Bellamy's turn to be confused and suspicious. 

"How did you..."

"I don't know, I just do." Murphy says looking confused and worried at the same time. 

"We'll deal with that later, right now I wanna know about your dream." Roan says steering the conversation back to the topic at hand. 

"The Key and A.L.I.E. are one and the same. The person who was A.L.I.E. ceased to exist centuries ago because her body is it's host and it's looking for a new one. The purge was instituted to rid the world of the only thing that could stop it, us." Bellamy says gesturing between him and Murphy.

"But if that was the case than why keep Murphy alive? He's had shadow magic since he was young and it makes no sense to keep the one thing left that could stop you alive." Roan states. 

"It makes perfect sense especially if that one person is..."

"It's new host. I'm what it wants, aren't I? The Key needs me, my body because her's is inferior and mine isn't. I'm The Key's key." Murphy says in both disbelief and understanding as he plops down in the chair beside Roan. 

Roan immediately begins rummaging through the pile of papers Bellamy handed him earlier repeating the phrase The Key's key over and over until he finds the one he's looking for. He scans it quickly but what little hope there was on his face at finding the page disappears as he does so and he slams his fist down on the table causing Murphy to jump. 

"The Key's key was familiar but the information is in that language again. My mom always talked about the language of the elders and how I should learn it but I was more interested in other things. Now I wish I'd listened to her when she said it might come in handy one day. She was the only one left alive who could read it and now there's no one. The language is lost and so is any information we could of gotten from it."

"Maybe not. Can I see that paper? There maybe a way to translate it but it's risky and you're not gonna like it."

"What is it?"

"First I need to tell you both something and I need you to listen without saying a word, okay?"

They both nod and Bellamy relays the story that Becca had told him back to them. When he's finished he remains silent, giving them ample time to digest the information he'd just given them.

Roan begins asking Bellamy questions but Murphy sits there in silence staring at the floor. Bellamy wasn't even sure he was hearing the conversation that him and Roan were having or what their plan was until he says something. 

"No. We can't do that. We can't just hand this information over to her. I don't care what you say or feel about her it doesn't make sense. Something is off and I'd rather be in the dark than give The Key information that could help her." Murphy says and there's something about the look in his eyes that has Bellamy wondering if there's something he isn't saying. 

"He may have a point. All of this is unknown territory for all of us and I'd rather have no advantage than give something that wants to kill us a leg up." Roan concedes.

Bellamy is reluctant to agree but he understands where both of them are coming from so him and Roan discuss other options while Murphy sits quietly staring at Roan's notes.They hear him in the background rifling through the papers and then there's silence. Bellamy stops mid sentence and looks at Murphy who is looking at a piece of paper in his hand with wide eyes. Before Bellamy can ask him what's wrong, Murphy blots up the stairs without a second thought. Roan and Bellamy look at each other confused before they too head up the stairs after him. 

They find him in his room throwing things on the floor and moving things around like he's frantically trying to find something. He sits on the bed looking defeated with his head in his hands and Bellamy is about to sit beside him to offer some form of comfort when Murphy suddenly stands up and runs to a room at the end of the hall. Bellamy is about to follow him but Roan stops him. 

"That was Mbege's room. No one's been in it since his death and I doubt he'd want you following him."

Bellamy give him a slight head nod and they both stand in the hallway waiting for Murphy to come out. When he doesn't come out immediately Roan heads back downstairs to grab his papers and the plate of food Murphy left him while Bellamy sits against the wall just outside Mbege's room. 

Murphy sits on the bed with the book in his hands and looks around the room for the first time in over a year. He had closed the door and refused to go anywhere near it when he'd died and now that he was here again all the memories came flooding back to him. He tired to hold back the rush of emotions that engulfed him but he couldn't and as the tears began to fall he curled up on Mbege's bed and let them. 

Bellamy can hear the soft sniffling and whimpers of Murphy crying through the cracked door but is unsure if he should enter the room or not. When the sounds in the room change from crying to stuff being thrown and broken, he decides it's time to go in the room.

He finds Murphy on his knees with bloody knuckles and tear soaked face before a broken picture of Murphy and Mbege laughing. Bellamy tentatively touches Murphy's shoulder causing him to pull away violently, spinning around to punch him in the face. 

"Fuck Murph! What the hell?" Bellamy shouts moving his jaw to make sure there's no permanent damage.

"Go the fuck away, Bellamy!" Murphy yells pushing him away. 

"No! Not until you calm the hell down."

"Get out!"

"No!"

"God Dammit Bellamy, if you don't fucking leave I'm..."

"You'll what? Huh? What are you gonna do, Murphy? Huh? What?" Bellamy taunts cutting Murphy off. 

"I'm warning you Bellamy, get out!"

"No. You want me to get out you're gonna have to make me cause I'm not leaving." 

Murphy stays quiet and Bellamy knows he probably shouldn't push but he does anyways. 

"What's wrong Murphy? You getting angry? Good, now do something about it!"

Shadows instantly erupt from Murphy like a volcano and envelop the entire room. Bellamy can hear Roan and Lincoln trying to get in but Murphy isn't letting them through. The shadows are circling Bellamy but they aren't touching him yet. It's almost like they're unsure of what they want to do. 

"What are you gonna do John?" Bellamy asks quietly.

The shadows slowly begin to recede back into Murphy and before the shadows are completely gone Murphy collapses to his knees. 

"I miss him, Bellamy. So fucking much."

Bellamy doesn't hesitate or even think about what he's doing he just kneels in front of Murphy and wraps his arms around him, rubbing his back as Murphy cries into his shoulder. The door opens but when Roan sees the scene before him he closes the door leaving them alone to work things out. 

Neither of them speak for what seems like hours but was probably only a few minutes. Murphy had stopped crying but hadn't pushed Bellamy away yet and he decided to continue rubbing his back until he did. However it never happened. Instead Murphy slowly pulls away from him to sit on the floor in front of the bed. Bellamy sits beside him and waits patiently for Murphy to say something.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy learns the truth about why he doesn't remember Murphy.

Murphy takes a deep breath but never takes his eyes off the book in his hand as he begins talking. 

"He didn't care that I had shadow magic, he just wanted a friend. Before our moms died I'd go to his place when things got crazy with my mom and it didn't matter how scary the nightmares got, he was there with me. He'd hold my hand and help me through it. I never realized how much I needed that until I didn't have it anymore. I was never alone until he died and I'm scared of what will happen if I'm not alone anymore."

"Why? Because you don't know how to be around people or are you afraid of getting attached again?"

"Both, maybe. I don't know. Things between me and Mbege just kinda happened. I loved him but I didn't realize how much until I lost him and I'm not going through that again with someone else."

"What about Roan?"

"Roan's different. It's not the same relationship that I had with Mbege."

"Maybe but you'd still feel almost the same way if Roan died as you did when Mbege died."

"What's your point Bellamy?" Murphy says finally looking at him. 

"The point is that you can't cut off all relationships with people because someone you loved dies."

"You don't get it, do you? It's not just one person Bellamy. It's everyone that's ever gave a shit about me. My father, my mother, Mbege, they all cared about me and now they're all dead. Everyone leaves me and at some point Roan will too. After all you did."

Bellamy isn't quite sure how to respond. They were kids when he left and if he's being honest he doesn't remember it. 

"I'm sorry Murphy. I am but I don't remember much from our friendship. I'm getting pieces here and there the longer I'm around you but I don't remember leaving you or us being that close."

"I know. I can see it in your eyes when I say something about before and it hurts more than anything. We were close Bell and to know you remember none of it sometimes hurts more than losing Mbege."

"Tell me about it. The day I left you. Maybe hearing what happened will help me remember it." Bellamy says hoping something will jog his memory.

Bellamy waits for Murphy to compose himself and he's about to tell him that he doesn't have to but then he begins telling Bellamy about the day he left him. 

"We were playing by a lake and I guess you'd managed to keep your shadow magic a secret because you told me to never tell anyone. Which of course I never did but as we were playing Dax saw us using shadow magic and confronted us about it. I was so scared of what would happen when he threatened to tell that I panicked and surrounded him in shadows. I almost killed him but you stopped me. He told Kane and Jaha about me and I was hoping you'd come forward and tell them about you too but you didn't. You watched as they questioned me about what happened and before they even decided my fate, you walked away. You left me alone. When I'd finally found someone like me, you abandoned me. You left me Bellamy when I needed you the most. You just turned your back on me like I was nothing."

"I'm so sorry Murphy but I'm here now and I'm not gonna leave you. Not this time."

"Of course not because you need me but once I'm no longer useful, I'm disposable. I always was." Murphy snaps bitter and hurt.

"That's not true Murphy. I was scared but not for myself, for my sister. If something happened to me she'd be alone so I couldn't step forward and help you because I didn't know what would happen to her."

"But it was okay for you to leave me alone?"

"Murphy I..."

"No I get it. Family is more important than friendship. It's part of the reason why I had your memories erased. I didn't want you to feel guilty about choosing your family over me."

Bellamy looks at Murphy curious and confused.

"You erased my memories? You're the reason I couldn't remember you? Why? Why am I remembering things between us now?"

"I'm not sure why you're remembering now. You weren't supposed to remember at all. You were supposed to forget all about me but I guess being forced to use your shadow magic awakened the memories and for that I'm sorry. Your life was destined to be better than this."

"Better than what? I want my memories back Murphy. All of them. Can you do that?" Bellamy demands angrily.

"I can but I won't. You don't need those memories clouding your mind. You're better off without them because they'll only bring you pain."

"It's not your choice Murphy! They're my memories and I want them back." Bellamy states firmly staring into Murphy's blue eyes. 

"Fine but I warned you." Murphy says taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, preparing to lift the spell. 

He takes a few deep breaths, says a few words and then touches his forehead to Bellamy's before saying "remember."

Bellamy's mind is suddenly flooded with images of him and Murphy together as kids and then a few more of when they were a little older. Meeting in secret before Bellamy wakes up one day with no memory of Murphy at all. He opens his eyes to see Murphy's blue orbs staring at him with their foreheads still touching before he falls unconscious. Murphy places him on Mbege's bed but doesn't leave the room and instead returns to his seat on the floor leaning against the bed where he begins thumbing through the book still in his hands.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy learns something in a dream and Murphy learns why his spell may not have worked.

Murphy looks up when he hears the door begin to creak open a few hours later and Roan slowly enters the room. Neither of them say anything as he sits on the floor beside Murphy. He is quiet for a few minutes before he decides to speak. 

"You okay?"

"Not really but I will be when this is over."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah. His mind needs some time to adjust to getting his memories back."

"You think he'll be mad at you when he wakes up?"

"Maybe but I did it so he'd have a life. He may be The Elite's golden boy now but if I hadn't erased his memories he'd have been out casted like me and there was his sister to think about. I did what was best for him." Murphy states but its not as certain a statement as it should have been and Roan didn't miss it.

"At the expense of yourself because your happiness doesn't matter, right? Don't you think that should have been his decision to make instead of yours? He may have chosen you."

"He would of chosen Octavia."

"You don't know that for sure. He...You were afraid, weren't you? You were afraid he'd choose to forget you and go on with his life so you made sure he'd never remember you, didn't you. Why? Why would you willingly put yourself through that pain Murphy?" Roan asks with both curiosity and concern.

"It doesn't matter anyways because the spell didn't work. He was already remembering before he arrived here. I'm not sure what went wrong. The spell should have permanently erased all traces of me from his memory." He replies avoiding Roan's question.

"Do you remember the spell or where you got it?" Roan asks going along with the subject change since he knew Murphy wasn't gonna answer him.

"I found it in a book my dad left me."

"Show me." 

Murphy leads Roan to his room where he hands him the book before heading back to Mbege's room and Bellamy. He's almost asleep when Roan comes back in and sits beside him, showing him the page after the spell. It contains a warning about using the spell on dream walkers.

"Maybe the reason it didn't work is because he's your dream walker. Maybe it's part of the reason he's here." 

"He's here for help in getting his sister back and nothing else. I'm nothing to him when it comes to her." Murphy says and while his voice doesn't show any emotion, his eyes tell a different story.

"I'm not so sure about that. I think you mean more to him than you realize."

Before Murphy can respond Lincoln sticks his head through the door and says "dinner will be ready in a few minutes. He'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah. I'm sure he'll wake up in time for dinner and if not we'll save him some for when he does." Roan says.

Lincoln nods but still looks worried for Bellamy as he heads back into the kitchen to finish dinner. 

"He will wake up soon, won't he?" Roan asks Murphy once Lincoln is gone. 

"He shouldn't be out for any more than an hour. I'll stay with him until he does though."

When Lincoln calls them for dinner, Bellamy is still sleeping. Murphy makes no move to get up as Roan starts to stand. 

"I'm bring you back some food." Roan says before he leaves the room. 

Roan comes back a few minutes later with food and then goes back to the kitchen to fix his own plate. As Murphy stares at the food, he hopes Bellamy wakes up soon and wonders what he's dreaming about.

\---------------------------

Bellamy is laying in a bed in Murphy's cabin but Murphy isn't the person in the room with him. The person looks familiar but he doesn't know who they are. He sits up slowly and they motion for him to follow. He hesitates for a second before getting up and following them into the kitchen. They sit down in a chair and pull one out for Bellamy as well. He sits after a few minutes of uncertainty but waits for them to speak since he has no idea what's going on other than he's dreaming. 

"I knew you'd eventually find your way back to him. He could deny it all he wanted but he missed you. I was never all that great at keeping him balanced. I think the only reason I'd managed to for so long was because of you. He needs you Bellamy, more than you know."

"You're Mbege, aren't you? How are you here and talking to me?"

"Even in death a dream walker can reach out to another in a time of need or if they are connected to someone that the deceased dream walker was attached to. You and Murphy are connected and I loved him."

"He loved you too." Bellamy says but he isn't sure why he felt the need to reassure him of that.

"But not fully. I knew I'd never have his heart because that was given to someone long before we met but I was okay with that. We were friends and I was more than content to stay that way but he needed more. So I was that as well."

"But it still wasn't enough, was it?"

"No because I wasn't his perfect match. I wasn't the dream walker that was his and his alone but you are."

"You're the second person that's told me that but I barely know him. I mean I've gotten my memories back but still I need time." Bellamy says still unsure if he was on board with the whole being Murphy's perfect match thing or not.

"Unfortunately time isn't something we have a lot of. You need each other and the sooner you accept it the better off everyone will be. If you aren't united when you face A.L.I.E. then you will all die and the world as we know it will cease to exists."

"Murphy's kept the darkness at bay this long, he can do it for a bit longer."

"No he can't! You don't get it. He's losing. The longer the two of you remain separated now that you've found each other again the easier it will be for the darkness to take him and once it does it will destroy the world as you know it." Mbege shouts angrily.

"What do I have to do?" Bellamy asks because while he's not sure about them being a perfect match he does know that Murphy is tired of fighting and close to the point of giving up.

"Just let him in and embrace your full potential."

"Like you did?"

"I had my reasons for holding back."

"And what would that be? Why would you willingly let yourself die when if you'd embraced it you could of lived?"

"Because Murphy would have died and The Key would never be stopped. You and Murphy are the only ones with the power to stop it and if I hadn't sacrificed myself that night, he'd never have met you again. He'd never admit it but he needs you in so many ways. Don't let him stay here alone and secluded for the rest of his life. Promise me you won't let that happen. Promise me Bellamy!"

"I promise I won't let that happen."

"Good now it's time for you to go back to him. Remember what I've said Bellamy. He needs you more than you know."

Bellamy watches as Mbege's image fades and he slowly begins to wake up. When he's fully awake he finds Murphy on the floor looking through a book and munching on food from a near by plate. He sits up and Murphy puts the book down, starting at him a bit before he speaks. 

"I'll grab you some food. I'll be right back."

Before Bellamy can stop him Murphy is out the door to get him food. He wonders if he should mention Mbege in his dream to Murphy or leave it. He didn't want to make Murphy feel bad for Mbege talking to him but at the same time he didn't want him mad at him for not telling him either. He was still debating the issue when Murphy returned with a plate of food. Murphy resumed his position on the floor while Bellamy sat in the bed and the two ate in silence until they were both finished. Murphy grabs Bellamy's plate to return it to the kitchen almost as soon as he's finished like he couldn't wait for an excuse to leave the room but stops when Bellamy grabs his arm. 

"We need to talk about some things and I think it's best we do it now, don't you?" Bellamy states in a way that isn't mean but leaves no room for argument.

Murphy doesn't say a word but his nervousness is clear in the way he swallows and from the look on his face. However he nods and takes his seat back on the floor where Bellamy joins him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy tells Murphy about his dream and Murphy tells him a little about his father.

They sit in silence for a few minutes before either one of them says a word. Bellamy clears his throat and the sudden sound must have startled Murphy cause he jumped. Bellamy places his hand over Murphy's and gently squeezes it to reassure him it's okay and when Murphy squeezes back Bellamy begins talking. 

"I saw Mbege, in my dream. He's worried about you and he wants me to protect you the way he should have."

"I know. I felt him. Did he tell you why he left me?" Murphy asks in a quiet whisper. 

"So you wouldn't die. Since he wasn't your dream walker he was afraid that when The Key made its presence known again that he wouldn't be able to keep you safe from the darkness."

"Was that the only reason?" Murphy asks like he knows there's more that Bellamy isn't saying.

"He did what he thought was best for you Murphy. He knew leaving you would cause you pain but he'd rather you be alive and hurting than dead. Sound familiar?"

"You sure it had nothing to do with him thinking you're my prefect match?" Murphy questions ignoring the last thing he said. 

When Bellamy didn't immediately answer, Murphy looks at him. He can see the confusion on his face and says "he asked me about you once, not long before he had a dream about The Key. When I told him about me taking your memories he didn't agree with it. He wanted me to give them back but I told him it didn't work that way."

"But it did, didn't it? I mean you gave me back my memories, so you lied to him."

"I didn't lie. The spell can only be lifted if the person is able to remember but it's rare. The person either has to be strong willed or a...a..."

"A what Murphy?" Bellamy prompts when he stops talking.

"A prefect match to the person who cast the spell."

"You sound disappointed. Why?"

"Because it's bullshit. It's complete and total bullshit. When a shadow warrior finds their dream walker they're supposed to be able to fight the darkness but it didn't save my parents or your father. Prefect matches are a myth made up to help keep shadow warriors in check."

"What do you mean my father? He wasn't a shadow warrior, was he?" Bellamy questions in confusion and the look on Murphy's face tells him it wasn't something he'd meant to say.

"Did you know him?"

"No. Mom never talked about him or Octavia's father. She just said they were good men who would have been with us if they could. We never even knew their names. Why? Did you know him?"

"My father and yours were friends. His name was Adam and yes he had shadow magic. He loved your mother and he would talk about you all the time. Apparently Aurora kept him updated on you regularly but I'm not sure what kept him from being with her and you. I remember the day he told my dad that you had shadow magic. He was both so proud and yet so terrified because of what it meant for you. My dad had suggested that I be introduced to you since I had shadow magic as well and that way you wouldn't feel so alone. I didn't know you were who Adam was always talking about and when he told me your name was Bellamy I told him that we were already friends and that you were fine. He seemed happy about it."

"What happened to him?" He asks nervously, not sure he was ready for the answer but wanted to know.

"He was killed in the purge. Him and a few others tried to infiltrate where those captured were being held for execution to free them but they got caught and were killed."

"There's no record he ever existed, is there? It was all wiped out during the purge, wasn't it?"

"I don't know. Maybe Roan would know something. Some people managed to sneak some records out before they were all destroyed but I'm not sure what happened to them or who they pertained to."

Bellamy sits there in silence for a while staring at the floor before he gets up and heads for the door. 

"I'm going to bed. I need some time to process things. I'll see you in the morning."

He doesn't wait for a response and leaves the room without a second glance. Murphy stays in Mbege's room a bit longer before grabbing the plates and taking them to the kitchen to be washed. Once they're cleaned and put away he sits on the couch in the living room where Roan is reading. 

"Where's Lincoln?" He asks quietly.

"Went to check on Bellamy. Is everything okay?" Roan asks picking up on the slight shakiness of his voice.

"I don't know. Here. This is Mbege's journal. There's a passage about The Key's key in there that may be useful."

"Thanks. I'll look at it later and see if it helps." Roan says not questioning him on it further even though he was curious about it.

"Do you have any of the records that were smuggled out during the purge?"

"A few, why?"

"Could you get them or at least see if you have someone specific?"

"Why?" Roan asks suspiciously. 

"Bellamy's father was killed in it and I was hoping you had his records since he never knew him."

"I'll see what I can find. What's his name?"

"Adam Johns."

"I'll let you know if I find something."

"Thanks Roan. I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Roan waves him off as he picks his book back up and continues reading. Murphy goes to his room but doesn't sleep and instead stares at the ceiling for a bit trying to gather his thoughts before he actually falls asleep. Bellamy tosses and turns for what seems like hours before he finally falls asleep. He's not sure why since his body was exhausted for some reason but his mind didn't seem to want to rest. When he managed to get it to calmed down enough to actually fall asleep he prayed his dreams would be somewhat pleasant.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murphy helps Bellamy remember his father.

Bellamy is dreaming about him and Octavia when suddenly the dream changes. He finds himself in a playground of some sort that is somewhat familiar and as he looks around he notices a figure on the swings. As he gets closer he recognizes the figure as Murphy and heads towards him.

"Murphy, what's going on? Is this my dream or yours?" 

"It's both and yet neither at the same time. Dream walkers aren't the only ones that can manipulate dreams. As long as there's a strong enough bond between the shadow warrior and that particular person they can enter their dreams."

"Why are you here? Why are you manipulating my dream?" Bellamy asks slightly worried.

"Because there's something I wanna show you. Something I think you deserve to see. C'mon and set with me." Murphy motions to the swing beside him and Bellamy sits down. 

"Now what?"

"Ssh, just watch." Is all Murphy says as he points towards the jungle gym. 

Bellamy notices two kids playing on it while two men talk close by. He recognizes the one boy as himself and the other is Murphy. Suddenly child Bellamy falls busting his mouth on the ground. Child Murphy drops down to check on him as the two men walk over. Bellamy knows one is Murphy's father but the other man he's never seen before. 

The other guy looks at Bellamy closely and says "you'll be fine. It's just a busted lip. Maybe you'll have a nice scar to show off to the ladies."

"Ewww, girls are gross. I don't like girls. I like Murphy." Child Bellamy says wrinkling his nose and putting his arm around child Murphy.

The man chuckles and says "well that's fine too. I'm sure Murphy likes the scar just as well, right Murph?"

"Yep sure do." Child Murphy says with a smile and Bellamy can't help but think that its a nice smile as he continues to watch things play out. 

The man pulls a napkin out of his pocket and hands it to Bellamy but Murphy takes it and begins cleaning the blood from Bellamy's lip and chin. Once it's all clean they go back to playing as the two men resume their conversation. 

Bellamy looks at Murphy who only points and says "keep watching." 

There are a few more scene like the one from the playground where him and Murphy are playing while the same guy talks with Murphy's father. Something is always happening to Bellamy and the man is the one to comfort him in some way, shape or form. Then the scenes change to just Murphy, his dad and the guy. The guy is praising Bellamy left and right or just talking about something that Aurora told him about Bellamy and it dawns on him who the guy is; his father. 

He's about to say something to Murphy for conformation when child Murphy asks Bellamy's father "why don't you tell Bellamy you're his father instead of being a guy who's a friend of my dad's and super cool according to Bellamy" and he goes quiet so he can hear the answer. 

"It's safer for him if he never knew who I was. I don't want a target on his back or his mother's."

"But he wishes you were his dad. He told me so himself and he's so hurt when he says it. I wanna make him feel better and tell him the truth because I like it when he smiles."

"John there are just some things that you can't understand yet." His father says but Murphy isn't listening. 

"He needs to know the truth!" He yells stomping his foot on the floor.

"You're right, he does but not right now. Let me ask you something. How would you feel if you knew there was someone out there who would take Bellamy away from you and you'd never get to see him again simply because he meant something to you?"

"I'd be pissed off and kick their asses for even thinking they could take what was mine and get him back." Murphy says bluntly. 

"Language, John." Comes a female voice from the other room. 

"Sorry mom but it's true."

"But what if you couldn't kick their asses or get him back once they took him?"

"I'd be angry and hurt and sad. I don't want anyone to take Bellamy away. He's my friend and he's special like me."

"Yes he is and I'd feel the same way. There are people who want to hurt me for the things I've done and if they ever found out that Bellamy was my son, they'd take him away or worse just to hurt me and I don't want that to happen, ever."

"So he can't know about you until they're gone because they'll kill him, won't they?"

"Yeah Murph, they will."

"I won't tell him then."

"Thank you. Now let's talk about something happy, shall we?"

The scene fades out and Murphy looks at Bellamy who has tears in his eyes but they haven't fallen yet. He doesn't say a word as they set on the swing, giving Bellamy time to digest the days events and the chance to speak first.

"He was always right there and I never knew. I just thought he was a friend of your dad's who was really cool but he was my dad. I remember the day he came to the house to say goodbye. I didn't understand why he did it or why my mom was so upset when he left but it makes sense now. You should have told me."

"It would of changed things and you know it. Besides you had a better relationship because you didn't know who he really was than if you'd known."

"How the hell do you figure that one, Murphy?"

"Think about it Bellamy. If you'd of known he was your father you would have resented him for leaving you and your mother and probably refused to give him a chance but since you didn't there were no barriers stopping the two of you from connecting. Regardless of how you feel about him now, you loved him back then and it hurt when he wasn't there anymore."

"It hurt us both. We both lost our fathers that day."

"That's not all we lost that day. Do you remember everything that happened that day?"

There's a short pause as Bellamy thinks about it before he answers. 

"Yeah, I do. It's strange remembering that day and all the emotions that came with it. You know now that I actually remember it, nothing has come close since."

"Really?" Murphy questions with a hint of scepticism in his voice. 

"Really. There have been other but there's always something missing or off and it became boring so eventually I just stopped trying all together."

"I'm sorry I took everything away. I panicked after I killed Dax and it was the only way I knew to protect you."

"Protect me from what Murphy?"

"From me."

Just as Bellamy is about to question him, Murphy disappears and soon after Bellamy wakes up to the sun shining in his face. He was determined to find out what he meant but Murphy kept avoiding him. He couldn't get him alone at all and as the day drew to a close, Bellamy decided if Murphy wouldn't talk to him when he was awake, he'd force him to in his dreams. That night Bellamy went to bed with a mission, talk to Murphy and no matter how much he protested or tried dodging the question, Bellamy was getting the answer before he woke up.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy and Murphy bond somewhat in the Murphy's dream.

Bellamy finds Murphy by a lake. He recognizes it from the image Becca had showed him of them as kids. Murphy doesn't seem to notice his presence or he's ignoring him because he never moves as Bellamy approaches the water.

"Do you remember this lake?" Murphy asks quietly without looking away from the water. 

"We played here as kids and after I was moved to The Ark we would meet here sometimes. Something happened here, didn't it? Something important."

"It's where I took your memories."

"But something else happened before then, didn't it? What happened Murphy?" He asks feeling something life changing happened here but not being able to remember what.

"I...I killed Dax. He was threatening you. Said he'd seen us together still using shadow magic and he was gonna make sure that you and your sister no longer lived in luxury because you didn't deserve it. I'm not even sure what happened but I got so angry and when the darkness came I let it take over. The next thing I remember is you kneeling in front of me saying "we'll figure this out. There has to be a way to make it look like an accident. I'll make sure they never know it was you." That's when I knew you were better off without me and since I knew you'd never leave me willingly I took your memories and walked away."

"That's not the only reason, is it? I saw something or felt something that day that caused you to think I'd be better off without you, didn't I? What did I see, Murphy?"

"You said you felt this hatred and anger surrounding me and for some reason it wanted you to suffer. If I hadn't been able to recognize you and pull it back you would have been killed. Erasing all existence of me from your memories was the only way I knew to keep you safe. If you'd have stayed with me I'd of eventually killed you just like I did Mbege."

"But you didn't kill Mbege. He let the rogue dream walker kill him so that we'd meet again because he knew as long as he was around we'd never find each other again."

"How do you know? How can you be sure it wasn't some trick so you'd tell me and make me feel better?" 

"Because I felt it. Ask Roan about it. I'm sure Mbege told him things he didn't tell you."

"I hated that, you know. The fact that you could always feel when something was wrong without me ever having to say a word. It made it really hard to hide my emotions from you and..."

"Frustrated you to no end, I remember. I also seem to remember an incident with Finn but the details are still a bit fuzzy. What was that about?"

"You pissed me off so I tried to piss you off but it didn't work and I wound up pissing myself off even more than I was before."

"If I remember correctly you punched Finn in the face and then stormed off. I had to do damage control with that one and as I recall it wasn't fun."

"Good, it shouldn't of been. Why could I never piss you off?"

"Trust me when I say you did. I was furious that day. It was the day I discovered I had fire magic. I was so mad I nearly burned my house down but I never let you see me angry because it wasn't what you needed. It was what you wanted but what you needed was someone to be there with you and for you no matter what you did. I was that person until you forced me away from you but I'm back now and I'm not leaving again." 

"I wish I could believe that." Murphy says as he gets up to leave the water's edge. 

Bellamy grabs his hand and without thinking interlocks their fingers causing Murphy to pause. 

"Show me what I've missed. Please?"

Murphy stands still looking at Bellamy with what might be hope and as Bellamy lightly squeezes his hand, Murphy sighs and sits back down. He waves his hand over the water and as it ripples images begin to appear on its surface. As the events of the past 5 or so years play out on the water Bellamy notices that Murphy hasn't let go of his hand and smiles taking it as a good sign. When the water finally returns to normal Murphy is quiet but still has a hold of Bellamy's hand. Bellamy begins absentmindedly rubbing circles on Murphy's hand with his thumb. Murphy looks down at his hand but the slight smile on his face is a sad one. 

"Show me your happiest memory or your favorite one?" Bellamy says sensing his despair.

Murphy stares off at the water and Bellamy wonders if he should show him one of his instead. He's about to suggest it when the water begins to ripple again as an image appears on it. Bellamy watches the scene play out and can't help but smile. 

"It was my first kiss, you know. I was so nervous and unsure but you were so confident that it made it easier. I'm sure I was horrible." Murphy says looking a Bellamy with a shyness that he hadn't seen in a while.

"You were fine. It's always kind of awkward your first time but you definitely got better. Why that one? I'm sure there were others between us that were happier."

"Well there was our first time but as good as that was our first kiss made me feel loved and wanted when I hadn't been in a long time. Our first time reinforced it but the kiss was what first made me feel it. As corny as it sounds that kiss made me feel like we could take on the world. Like there was nothing we couldn't do together." He says looking away as a slight blush creeps on to his cheeks.

"It's not corny Murph and I know exactly what you mean. I kinda felt the same way which is why when you killed Dax I was willing to do whatever was necessary to keep you safe."

"I'm so scared I'm gonna hurt you or worse and if that happens I don't know what I'd do. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because of me."

"Murphy we've been away from each other for over 5 years something could've happened to me then and you'd have never known."

"Actually, I did know. We are still connected in a way and even though you didn't remember me I knew you were okay. I also may have visited your dreams a few times but I never changed anything, I just watched. I was curious as to what you dreamed about."

"You're not a dream walker so how...I don't get how you can walk in my dreams and not be a dream walker." Bellamy asks confused and hoped that he didn't visit certain dreams because that would be embarrassing.

"Mbege thought it had something to do with the fact that my mom was one and I got some latent abilities from her but it only works with people I'm connected to like you and him. I don't really know for sure though because I never bothered to look into it."

"I guess it makes sense. We need to wake up soon, don't we?" Bellamy says sensing his body beginning to wake up.

"Yeah, it's almost dawn."

"Don't ignore me anymore, okay?"

"Okay."

Bellamy gives Murphy's hand one last squeeze before they both fade away and wake up in their own beds. When he finally gets out of bed he finds Murphy in the kitchen making coffee and is about to say something when Roan comes into the kitchen looking tired but excited about something. 

"You guys need to hear this. I've been up all night reading Mbege's journal and the book your father gave you and I've found some very interesting things that I think can help in going against The Key."

"Can I at least drink some coffee first before we get into the heavy stuff?" Murphy asks. 

"Yeah sure. In fact give me a cup too otherwise I'm gonna crash before I get the chance to tell you what I found."

Murphy passes Roan a cup and the three of them sit down at the table in silence. Lincoln comes in to pour him a cup a few minutes later and joins them at the table. Once they finish their cups and they've filled Lincoln in on what's going on they all listen as Roan tells them what he's found.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan has something for both Murphy and Bellamy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't remember of I proofread this chapter or not so if there are any grammatical errors I'm sorry.

"First off before we get started there's something that I need to do. Murphy asked me to look at that archives my family collected on some of the people who were killed in the purge to see if there was anything on your father Bellamy and while I haven't been able to find anything yet, I did find this in the book Murphy's father gave to him. It's addressed to you so I'm not sure what's in it but it's signed at the bottom by your father." Roan says handing Bellamy the letter.

He takes it but isn't sure he wants to read it. He carefully puts the letter in his pocket and turns his attention back to Roan so he can tell them what he's found.

"Mbege's journal has a lot to do with his dreams but as a dream walker they are more informative than most and it seems he learned a few things about The Key and the relationship between shadow warriors and dream walkers. Going through the book that Murphy's dad gave him I found a lot of references to the old ways and what I believe to be a key of some sort to the language of the Elders but I can't be certain of it just yet. Anyways, from what I've gathered both Mbege and your dad talk about something called the prophecy of the chosen which was a decree from the Temple of the Elders before they were forgotten that states: A time will come when two will rise to cleanse the world of the darkness. One of dark and one of light but both can walk in the fog. Once united all will be revealed and The Key shall be vanquished but the sacrifice of one will heal. Now I'm still not sure what that means but I believe that you two are the chosen from the prophecy."

"What makes you so sure? We didn't even exist when that was written. It could be about any shadow warrior and dream walker past, present and future." Murphy states.

"It does kind of seem far fetched. I mean it could of been someone killed in the purge or it could be someone who hasn't been born yet. Why are you so sure its us?' Bellamy says agreeing with Murphy.

"The Elders from the temple are my ancestors and the temple ruins are in Azgeda. I don't think it was a coincidence that either of you two came to me for answers. The Elders were said to be seers and people came from hundreds of miles to partake in their wisdom so I believe the prophecy is legit. Besides there isn't anyone else it can be about because it talks about both of you being able to walk in the fog which is what Mbege calls it when he walked through a dream. He said it was like being in a really think fog and at times only being able to make out the outline of a shape. Not to mention your shadow magic is dark and Bellamy's is light. It has to be you two."

"I hate to say it but he has a point. As much as I hate prophecies and shit like that, it makes sense." Lincoln says.

"Okay, say I believe you and we are the chosen how the hell are we supposed to vanquish The Key? And what the hell does the sacrifice of one will heal mean? Why are prophecies always like a fucking riddle. They should just come out and say what the fuck they mean instead of having people guess." Murphy says still a skeptical.

"Well that I'm still not sure on. I'm trying here but there's a lot of information and most of it is in the language of the Elders that I can't translate. As far as vanquishing The Key I'd assume the answer will be revealed once you unite..."

"But you aren't sure what that means exactly, are you?" Murphy interrupts.

"No, I'm not. Uniting has too many means to be able to narrow it down to a definitive one but I'm hoping more research will help and that this key I found is a step in the right direction when it comes to translating the Elders' language. I know its not much and its given you more questions than answers but its something. I really wish there was more." Roan says sympathetically.

"I know and it is more than what we had before. Just keep us informed and hurry because we only have a few more weeks to figure this out before she kills my sister and my friends."

"I know and I'm working as fast as I can. I wasn't the best student when my mother tried to teach me this stuff. I thought it was pointless and I'd never need it but as usual she was right. I'm sorry."

"It's fine just keep looking." Murphy says exasperated.

"Are you okay? You seem like you're here but not." Bellamy asks concerned.

"I'm fine. I was just...I was...Does it say anything in either one of those about a shadow warrior being able to walk through dreams that isn't referencing the prophecy?" 

"Mbege mentions something about latent abilities passed down from parent to child but the book from your dad says something completely different. Dream walkers and shadow warriors are rare. Even though there were quite a few in the purge, they only make up maybe 1% of the population, if that but a shadow warrior who can walk through dreams or vice versa is absolutely unheard of. Apparently your father did research on it because he wrote a few things down about it in the back but I've only skimmed it."

"Why would he research it?"

"Apparently there was this one time when you were a child that you told him about a dream you had but it wasn't your dream, it was Bellamy's and you described what it was like which is exactly how your mother described dream walking. Since it was obvious that you were a shadow warrior, he began looking into the phenomenon. If you want I can give you the book back so you can read it. I don't need it to use the key because it's on a piece of paper that isn't a part of the book." Roan says taking out the paper with the key on it and handing to book to Murphy.

He reluctantly takes it, unsure if he really wants to know what it says. Roan soon dismisses himself and heads back down to the basement to continue his research. Lincoln decides to head outside and workout a bit since there's really nothing else for him to do and Murphy and Bellamy set at the table staring at the book and letter in front of them. Neither wanting to read them but at the same time curious as to what they'll say. After sitting at the table for another 20 minutes, they both get up and head to their respective rooms to read alone. However 15 minutes later Bellamy is standing in Murphy's doorway while he stares at the unopened book on his bed.

"Can't bring yourself to open yours either, huh? I tried a few times myself but I couldn't do it." Bellamy says.

"It shouldn't be this hard to read something that he wrote especially since I've read different pages in this book tons of times before."

"Maybe its because he actually wrote it whereas the book is just a book. The part in the back is more personal because its actually something from him." Bellamy suggests.

"Maybe. What's your excuse?"

"Its a letter from him addressed to me and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I never even knew the guy and up until recently I thought he didn't give two shits about me or my mom. It's confusing and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel. I hated him for so long for leaving me and my mom but what if this letter explains all that and its a good reason. I don't wanna know what it says because I guess I'm scared that it'll reveal something about me that I won't like. I know it sounds stupid but I don't know anything about the man but apparently he knew everything about me and it makes me so pissed off at my mom because she knew. I don't know what to do."

Murphy pats the bed beside him and Bellamy slowly enters the room to sit down.

"What if I read the letter from your dad and you read what my dad wrote about me? That way neither of has to read something we don't want to but we'll still know what they say. Or we could read them together. Either way there may be something we could use in them and if we don't read them we'll never know it."

Bellamy thinks about it for a minute, not really sure he wants Murphy to read something with his name on it but at the same time still unsure if he wants to read it himself. In the end he hands the letter to Murphy who in turn hands him the book and they both get comfy, laying side by side on the bed as they open them.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy and Murphy run into some issues reading the things left by their fathers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may or may not be mistakes in this chapter. I proofread it but I was have asleep so I hope if there are mistakes they aren't too atrocious. As always feedback is welcomed. Enjoy.

Murphy begins reading the letter but feels a bit weird about it because its written as a father talking to their son and he knows Bellamy was the only one meant to read it. He glances over at Bellamy who is reading the last few pages of the book but looks a bit confused and Murphy isn't sure why. He decided to take a peek over Bellamy's shoulder and see what's causing the confusion. He's not sure how far he's gotten but he soon notices what's giving him problems and lets out a small chuckle that catches Bellamy's attention.

"What's so funny?"

"You looked really confused so I glanced over your shoulder to see why and couldn't help myself. I can't believe he still remembered that stupid language I made up as a kid. We used it for a while when we didn't want people to know what we were talking about but then dad figured it out and it wasn't fun anymore. Why would he write some of it in a language only I would understand?'

"Maybe so only you could read it. It's in here a lot, like almost every other sentence. It's almost like he's hiding something in plain sight. Do you remember how to translate it?"

"I think so but it may take me some time. Don't you remember it?"

"Not really. I remember us using it but I can't remember the code or the translations. How are you coming with my dad's letter?"

"I feel weird reading it because I know it's meant for you. I understand your frustration but maybe you should read it. Let me get some paper from Roan so I can translate that. I'll be right back." Murphy leaves the room and Bellamy notices that he left the letter open and kind of on his lap.

He glances down it for a moment before moving it to the nightstand and resumes reading what he could of Murphy's book. However no matter how hard he tries he keeps glancing back at the letter and can't seem to concentrate on what he's trying to read. He takes a deep breath, closes the book and picks up the letter. He lays for a while just staring at the paper before he actually begins reading it. Murphy tries to sneak into the basement to grab some paper without Roan noticing him but he has no such luck and Roan turns toward him as soon as he hears paper being moved.

"Damn you look like shit. Maybe you should stop the research and actually get some sleep."

"I can't. I'm so close Murph, I can feel it but this key code isn't making any sense when I try translating these pages. I just need a few more hours and I'm sure I'll have it."

"Not if you're dead. Look, I want answers just as much as you do but maybe you've been at this too long and things are starting to blur together. Get some sleep and look at it with fresh eyes in the morning and maybe it'll make more sense or you'll figure out something that you didn't think of before but either way you need sleep Roan. You can't help defeat The Key if you're too exhausted. You'd be a hindrance instead of an asset."

"You're probably right. After all the words were kind of starting to blur together and very little from the past hour has made any sense what so ever. Besides we still have some time to spare and getting some sleep sounds like a good idea. What are down here for anyways?"

"I needed some paper. Part of what my dad wrote is in this language I made up when I was a kid and I need to translate it."

"Do you remember how?"

"I'm not sure. It's been a long time since I've seen or used it so it may take a while but I'm pretty sure I remember what my name looked like so that's a start."

"Well don't work at it too long and here, this is the only paper I have that hasn't already been written on."

"Thanks." Murphy says a he takes the paper and heads for the stairs.

He pauses at the bottom and says "Sleep in an actual bed instead of falling asleep down here. The sleep and time away from this dank basement smell will also do wonders for your brain and figuring out this stuff."

"Yeah yeah. Careful Murph people may think you care about someone other than yourself."

"Well they'd be wrong. Now get some sleep."

Roan shakes his head and begins gathering up some of the things he'd been working on before ascending the stairs and heading to one of the guest rooms to sleep. He places the papers on the table beside the bed, takes his shoes off and lays back on the bed. Once he's comfortable he has ever intention of looking over the papers until he falls asleep but it seems his body had other plans and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out. Murphy grabs two beers from the kitchen and smiles as he hears snoring coming from Roan's room on his way back to his. When he enters his room he finds Bellamy staring at the letter with a blank expression on his face and when he doesn't even flinch when Murphy sits down next to him, he begins to worry something's wrong.

"Bellamy? Bellamy are you okay?" He asks as he tentatively places a hand on Bellamy's shoulder.

Bellamy blinks but still doesn't respond to his presence. He repeats his name again and gently lays a hand on his cheek. Bellamy leans into the touch and says "why's your hand wet" but its barely above a whisper. However the sound of his voice and the slight lean into Murphy's touch has him breathing a sigh of relief.

"I grabbed us a beer on my way back. What's wrong? Was it something you read?" Murphy asks concern lacing his words.

"Thanks I could really us one right about now. I read some of my dad's letter to me. I didn't read much, just the first paragraph and then I couldn't read anymore. He talks about me like he knows exactly who I am and he's so sure of everything he says about me but I just feel like it's all a lie. How can he know exactly who I am when I'm not even sure myself? And he talked about O like he wanted us to someday be an actual family knowing full well that that could never happen. I don't care what he has to say, I'm not reading anymore of that letter. You can read it if you want but I can't. It's nothing but lies and promises made by a man who knew he was going to die and there was no danger of him ever having to come through on any of it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Did you find some paper?"

"Yeah, are you going stay in here or go back to your room?"

"Do you want me to stay in here?"

"If you want to."

"That's not what I asked Murph. Do you want me to stay here with you or not?"

"Yes, I want you to stay." Murphy says so low that if he wasn't so close he'd never of heard it.

Bellamy smiles as he settles down on the bed beside Murphy with his beer and watches Murphy go through the book and write down the parts that his dad had coded. After a while he notices Murphy stopping every few seconds and flexing his hand like it's cramping form all the writing and takes the pencil from his hand. Murphy looks at him with both confusion and anger but before he can explode Bellamy speaks.

"Let me write the code down for you and you can begin translating what you already have down. That way your hand can get a bit of rest and you can get started on translating this quicker."

"Won't that defeat the purpose of giving my hand a rest if I'm still using it?"

"Can you write with your other hand?"

"Not if you want to be able to read what I write."

"Well, go grab us some more beers and that'll give your hand a bit of rest before you start translating."

Murphy smacks him with the papers in his hands but gets up and gets them each another beer. A few more minutes of writing and Murphy has to stop to give his hand a rest before it cramps to the point he can't use it for a while. He looks over what he's got so far and is about to grab the pencil to mark something out when he feels Bellamy massaging his hand causing him to pause. He looks down at his hand and then up at Bellamy who seems oblivious to what he's doing. Murphy isn't sure if he should say anything to him about it or not because he's afraid he'll stop and it feels so good that he definitely doesn't want him to stop. However Murphy accidentally moves his hand causing him to stop.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you I was just..."

"You don't have to stop. You can keep doing it. It doesn't bother me. In fact I kinda like it." Murphy says nervously.

Bellamy doesn't say a word but smiles as he resumes massaging Murphy's hand. Without thinking Murphy relaxes and leans his head onto Bellamy's shoulder. Bellamy continues to massage his hand but lays his head against Murphy's and places a soft kiss to his hair. Murphy freezes and Bellamy thinks that maybe he fucked up. Murphy slowly raises his head towards him and Bellamy tries to think of something to say to explain why he did what he did but instead of snapping at him Murphy simply looks at him curiously. Before either of them really have a chance to think about it their lips meet. The papers and book forgotten as Bellamy grabs the back of Murphy's neck, pulling him closer. As Murphy's hands begin to run through Bellamy's hair, he pulls Murphy into his lap and deepens the kiss. Bellamy breaks the kiss and begins to trail kisses along Murphy's jaw and down his throat, stopping at the base of the neck where he begins to nibble and suck. Murphy soon begins rocking back and forth in Bellamy's lap trying to get some friction on his growing erection. Murphy's moans and pants are causing Bellamy to get hard as well and he's soon gently thrusting up into Murphy as he rolls his hips. It isn't long before the lack of skin to skin contact begins to frustrate Bellamy and he's undoing Murphy's pants. Once he has them loose enough that he can get his hand down them, he does and palms Murphy's dick. He gets a few strokes in before Murphy seems to come to his senses, realizing what's going on and quickly jumps out of Bellamy's lap.

"I can't, we can't, I'm sorry." He says before he bolts from the room.

Bellamy lays on the bed staring at the ceiling and wondering what in the hell just happened. He's confused by both their actions and Murphy's reaction but can't help the smile on his face when he remembers the feel of Murphy's lips on his or the way his body responded to his every touch. He also can't help but wonder if and when he can do it again and hopefully this time they could get further because he'd love to hear the way his name sounded being shouted by Murphy as he came.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan and Murphy have a heart to heart so to speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took a bit longer than usual but I'm still in the process of writing it and trying to get everything squared away before I leave for DragonCon at the end of this month. Also sorry if this has mistakes, I didn't really proofread before I posted.

Murphy winds up in Mbege's room after fleeing his own in a panic and he sits on the bed to try to figure out what the fuck just happened. Its not that he didn't enjoy it because he did but it was too much like before and after not having any intimate contact like that for over a year it was too intense. He curls up on the bed and stares at the floor trying to think about anything but the feel of Bellamy's lips and skin on his. He's almost asleep, though he's not sure how he could sleep with everything that just happened when he finally notices a figure standing in the doorway looking at him. At first he thought it was Bellamy and was about to telekinetically close the door but when he focuses on them more he realizes its just Roan.

"Go away." He says without any real feeling behind it and turns over to face the wall.

"Bout time you noticed me. I've been standing here for at least 20 minutes. You wanna tell me what happened?"

"What makes you think something's happened?" 

"Because Bellamy is in your room and you're in here. That only happens when something happens that you don't feel like facing so you run."

"Just because you helped me when I needed you doesn't mean you know me. I don't run from everything I don't wanna face."

"No but you run away from your emotions. You always have. Its why things took so long to progress between you and Mbege. Why do you run from them? When you except them you can use them to your advantage. Your rage can't be the only thing that fuels you, John."

"Don't call me John! And I know rage can't be the only thing, if I didn't do you think you'd still be here. My rage doesn't fuel me and I keep it in check because I have too otherwise this world and everyone in it are doomed."

"You don't care about the world Murphy or the people in it. The only thing you care about is Bellamy and you can't tell me that you don't because if that were the case you would have just left without any explanation at all and left him devastated instead of trying to erase all traces of you from his memories."

"Don't you have scrolls to translate?" Murphy snaps at him hoping that he'll drop the conversation but of course he's not that lucky.

"And don't you have someone to unite with? The prophecy is real Murphy and its talking about you and Bellamy, I know it. I might not have any definitive proof but I feel it and my mom always said to trust my gut when it came to the uncertain."

"Your mother was psycho and if you aren't careful you'll be riding the crazy train with her."

"She was yes, but she also knew what she was talking about from time to time. Like that old saying even a broken clock is right twice a day. We can't let her win, we just can't. You and Bellamy are the only way to ensure that that doesn't happen."

"Why can't the world just leave me alone? I didn't ask for any of this and I sure as hell don't want it. I'm no hero so how the hell am I supposed to save the world from the ultimate evil? I'm so damaged and bitter about everything that I'm surprised it hasn't overtaken me yet. I'm not even sure why or how I'm still holding on. I'm tired Roan and I just wanna be normal again."

"Murphy, you were never normal and that's what makes you so special."

"I don't wanna be special! I wanna be left alone. I wanna live out the rest of my miserable life here, alone without ever being bothered by anyone ever again." Murphy snaps angrily as he gets up and pushes past Roan out into the hall.

"What about Bellamy?" Roan calls after him softly almost like he's afraid to mention the other boy's name.

"What about him?"

"You gonna leave him again because something tells me this time it won't be as easy as saying a little spell and then your conscious is clear for another day."

"My conscious was never clear. There wasn't a day that went buy that I didn't regret my decision but as I saw him with other people and that he was happy, I realized that I made the right choice. He's better off without me. He always has been and he always will."

"Is that what you think? Do you really think that I was happy? Because I can tell you that I wasn't. Far from it actually. I kept feeling like something was missing but I never could figure out what it was. No relationship I had ever worked and I always thought it was me but the truth was it was you. You took the only thing that made me happy away from me and now that I've got it back you wanna do it again. I'm not letting you. Not this time. You're not leaving me again. You're not leaving me ever." Bellamy says from behind them as he suddenly appears in the hallway.

Roan turns to leave even as he looks at Murphy's eyes pleading for him to stay. He's sure he'll be pissed at him but he'll get over it and in time maybe thank him for leaving him to deal with Bellamy alone since it's what he needed to do anyways. He can feel the slight tension in the air around him as Murphy's anger rises but he hopes that Bellamy's presence will stop him from hurting him or worse. Just before he rounds the corner to enter the living room he feels a slight jolt on his back but nothing too serious and keeps waking as he hears Bellamy mutter a quick thanks.

"Don't. Don't thank me because that anger is still there it's just that now it has nowhere to go which is never a good thing."

"So let it out. You don't have to have it focused on someone to let it out. Octavia does it all the time. Whenever she gets frustrated and I won't let her take it out on the person who caused it, she takes it out on the training dummies or she just shoots some fire into the sky as she screams. It seems to help her, maybe it'll help you. Besides I seriously doubt that you actually wanna hurt Roan."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't but either way I'd feel better."

"Sure, when it happens but what about afterwards. Can you honestly tell me that you won't regret it if your anger winds up hurting him?" 

"I don't know. I guess I would. I mean it would be strange being here without seeing him every once in a while and I'd have to get permission from the new leader of Azgeda if I hurt him too bad which would be a hassle."

"Don't act like he's a convenience for you because I know he means more to you than that." Bellamy interrupts him.

"What do you want, Bellamy?" Murphy asks changing the subject because he didn't feel like talking about Roan anymore.

Maybe Roan was right about running from his emotions but he's never had any use for them except to cause problems and with the way things are going at the moment they definitely didn't need anymore problems. Murphy was lost in his own thoughts staring at the floor and didn't realize it until Bellamy gently shook his shoulder, snapping him out of it. When his eyes focus on Bellamy's brown ones they are staring at him with concern.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Murphy snaps as he turns and heads back to him room.

He was hoping that Bellamy would go to his room but of course he follows him to his. However as Murphy enters the room, Bellamy stands in the doorway like he's unsure if he's welcome or not. There's a few minutes of awkward silence and Murphy is about to tell him to either come in or go away when he lets out a deep sigh causing Murphy to notice the tension in his shoulders as he does so.

"Can...Do you think it's possible for me to reach my sister through her dreams?"

"You're a dream walker Bellamy, you can enter anyone's dreams that you want as long you know how to find them." Murphy says like it should be obvious.

"How do I do that?"

Murphy looks at him curiously for a second and then realization dawns on his face. He forgot that Bellamy knows nothing about being a dream walker because up until a few weeks ago he didn't know he was one.

"Mbege said every person has a certain aura so to speak that lets you identify them when in dreams. As a dream walker you can see that aura more clearly than others. All you have to do is find your sister's aura and you'll find her dreams."

"How do I find her aura? I mean how am I supposed to know which one is hers?"

"How do you find mine? What is it about my dreams that let you know their mine?"

"I don't know. It's like I'm drawn to yours without even thinking. I can't really explain it. I guess there's this feeling that lets me know I'm in your dream but I'm not sure."

"Is it a familiar feeling or something else? What is it about the feeling that lets you know it's me and not someone else?"

"I don't know. I just don't know." Bellamy says in frustration and defeat.

"Come here. Maybe if you get some sleep you can figure it out in the morning. We still have time and I'm sure your sister is still alive because you would have felt it if she wasn't, right?"

"Yeah but being alive and being okay are two very different things. I'm worried about her, Murph."

"I know but get some sleep and we'll figure it out in the morning. Maybe Mbege's journal will have something that could help and we can get it from Roan in the morning."

"Yeah." Bellamy says as he reluctantly lays down on Murphy's bed.

He settles against the wall but stares at the ceiling instead of closing his eyes and trying to sleep. A few minutes later he feels the bed shift and Murphy's back up against his. He wants to turn over towards him but he doesn't want him to run away again so he stays where he is and lets the feel of Murphy's back against his soothe him to sleep. He's not sure how long he'd been asleep but the feel of hair in his face wakes him and he notices that they are no longer back to back. They had changed positions while they slept and now Murphy's back was against his front with Murphy's hair in his face. He moves his head trying to not disturb Murphy and is about to move his arm which was currently draped over Murphy's torso when suddenly Murphy turns over causing them to be face to face. Bellamy fights the urge to pull him closer and resumes trying to move his arm.

He's successfully gotten his arm off of Murphy and is about to turn over onto his back when Murphy nuzzles his neck and whispers "don't let go" as he moves closer to him. It takes all of two seconds for Bellamy to warp his arm back around Murphy, pulling his even closer and whispers back "I won't" before falling back asleep. The next time he wakes up, they are in the same position but Murphy is looking at him confused. He's starts to explain what happened when Murphy puts a finger to his mouth silencing him.

"I don't care how we got this way at the moment I just don't want to move yet so don't, okay?"

"Okay." Bellamy says as he kisses the top of Murphy's head causing Murphy to tense up in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I didn't...I wasn't...I'm sorry." Bellamy says in a panic and begins to pull away from Murphy who grabs a hold of him, not letting him.

"I said I didn't want to move yet and I don't. I just...It's been...You and Mbege are the only people I've ever been intimate with and after not having any contact like this since before he died, it's gonna take me a while to get used to it. You're just gonna have to be patient with me and not take it personally. Do you think you can do that?"

"I'm not sure but I'll try." Bellamy says and he feels Murphy nod against his neck and soon after he hears the rhythmic breathing letting him know that Murphy is once again asleep.

Bellamy falls asleep a bit later. At least he thinks he's asleep. It's hard to tell because if it is a dream, its a very realistic one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter I may go back to Octavia and the other with A.L.I.E. but I haven't completely decided if I'm gonna do that or pick up where this chapter left off. Hope you're enjoying this and as always any feedback is welcome. Good or bad, I wanna know what you think.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A.L.I.E and Jaha have a plan but so do Clarke and Octavia.

"Well is it taken care of?" A.L.I.E. asks Jaha when he enters her private room. 

"Not exactly." Jaha replies slowly and hesitantly. 

"What do you mean not exactly? He's either dead or not. Now which is it?" She snaps at him. 

"N..not but..." Jaha begins nervously but before he can continue he's thrown against the wall by shadows.

"What! What! How the hell can some kid who barely knows who or what he is still be alive?" She yells as her face contorts in anger and she starts to become completely shadows. 

Suddenly he's dropped to the floor as she releases him and then collapses to the floor herself. Jaha is by her side in an instant as she slowly comes back to herself. 

"Your strength and power is beginning to fade. You can't exert that much power and energy at one time or you'll die." Jaha says cautiously. 

"I know but I'm having a hard time believing that some kid can stop you. So explain it to me while I recover."

"He's stronger than anticipated. I've never encountered a dream walker that strong. Not even John's mother was that strong. He's also managed to somehow lock me out of John's mind. I can't reach him anymore." Jaha explains and then braces himself for the explosion he knows is coming. 

A.L.I.E.'s face contorts in anger again but she manages to reign it in before she goes full shadow again but the calm voice that follows scares Jaha more than the shadows ever would.

"He's locked you out? That's not possible. It can't be done. It can't...unless...no. They can't be. I would've felt them. I..." She begins muttering to herself in a hushed voice that both confuses and scares Jaha. 

"What are you talking about? What are you not telling me?" He asks cautiously. 

"It's nothing we can't handle. We just need to try harder and go about things a different way. Since we can't seem to get to Bellamy then we'll get to his sister. He can't protect them both and since she's here we can use her." A.L.I.E. says with a devilish smile on her face.

"What do you want me to do?"

"It won't be long before he learns to find people in their dreams and the first person he'll search for will be her so let's make it easier for him. Make her cry out for him in her dreams and when he comes for her and let's his guard down, we'll know where they are."

"Why don't we let him know where we are instead? If we bring them to us it'll be easier to dispose of them and we can use the others a leverage to get what we want, like a trade." Jaha suggests. 

"I like the way you think. It's a shame we didn't meet sooner in life, things may have turned out differently for us but they certainly wouldn't be as fun now would they?"

"Definitely not." Jaha agrees as they both begin laughing. 

Little did they know that someone was listening to their every word and was determined to stop Bellamy and whoever this John was from coming after them. Clarke knew it meant death but she wasn't gonna let more suffer at the hands of these two. She had a plan and though it was risky, she needed to stop Bellamy from coming here at all costs.

"Octavia? Octavia, are you awake?" She whispered hoping that it was loud enough for her to hear but not loud enough for A.L.I.E. and her goons to hear.

"Yeah, but why are you whispering?" Came Octavia's hushed reply a few seconds later.

"Because I don't want us to be overheard. Can you still talk to Bellamy telepathically?"

"I guess so. I'm not sure cause we haven't done it since we were kids. Why?"

"I need you to try and get a message to him. We can't let him come here after us. If he does he'll be playing right into her hands. You have to try and stop him." Clarke tells her quickly sensing that someone was coming.

"I'll try but I can't make any promises that it'll work." She replied just as the main door to the cell room opened to reveal Ontari.

"What the hell are you guys whispering about?" She shouts angrily.

"Would you shut up, Clarke is trying to sleep." Lexa snaps at her.

"I heard voices. What are you planning?" She asks accusingly.

"We aren't planning anything and for your information Clarke whispers in her sleep." Raven replies and as if on cue Clarke, pretending to be asleep begins whispering. 

Most of it is nonsense but every now and then she'd throw in a medical term or say some one's name and then she started arguing. Of course it was a one sided argument because it was meant to be happening in her head. Ontari scoffed and left the room in a huff. Once the door was slammed Raven, Octavia and Lexa began laughing as Clarke sets up and looks around.

"That was fucking brilliant, Clarke." Octavia manages to gasp in between laughs.

"Well Raven certainly didn't make it easy for me saying I whispered in my sleep."

"What the fuck else was I supposed to say when she said she heard whispering?" Raven counters.

"Besides you didn't have to start an argument with your imagination." Lexa says and Clarke glares at her.

"Thanks for the help, Lex."

"She has a point, you know. You really didn't have to break out the crazy." Octavia teases.

"What the hell else was I supposed to do, she wouldn't leave. Besides I've found that if you space out or act like you're talking or in my case arguing with essentially yourself that people tend to leave you alone. At the very least you win the argument."

"So that's how you do it? I always wondered why Bell came away from so many arguments with you looking so damn confused and shaking his head. You might wanna tell him you do that if we get out of here before he has Abby try and lock you in a room for your own safety."

"Very funny, O." Clarke says rolling her eyes at her friend.

"Are we getting out of here?" Comes a quite voice and all turn to look at Monty whose looking at them expectantly for an answer.

"I don't know. I wish I did but I don't." Clarke says solemnly.

"If there's a way to get us out of here, Bellamy will find it. He'll come for us Monty. He'd never leave us here to die." Miller assures him but as he looks at the girls he realizes that there's something the two of them missed.

\--------------------- 

Bellamy is snapped out of his sleep by a voice in his head. It's faint at first but soon becomes louder until he can make out his name being called. He tries focusing on the voice hoping to be able to figure out who it belongs too but Murphy starts shaking in his sleep beside him and he turns his attention to him instead.

Bellamy tries waking him but it doesn't work and his shaking becomes thrashing. He knows he's having some kind of nightmare or something and closes his eyes to connect with Murphy in the dream world. It doesn't take him long to figure out what's causing Murphy to thrash around. 

Bellamy knows it's not a nightmare but a memory because the look and feel of it is different than a nightmare. As he watches he notices that Murphy appears to be replaying the night he killed Dax and he's about to stop it when something catches his eye. There's a reflection of some kind in the water but it isn't Murphy's or Dax's. In fact it doesn't even look human. 

When he's close enough to see the water clearly he looks at the reflection and sees that it's a mass of black shadows in the crude form of a human. He moves to wake Murphy but notices another reflection beside the black shadows. He's not sure where it's coming from until he moves his arm and the reflection does too. 

He watches in both curiosity and horror as the black shadows begin to attack the new reflection, his reflection. Suddenly the white shadows that are apparently his reflection reach into the mass of black shadows and pulls out Murphy. Once he's free of the shadows there's a horrible shrieking noise as the shadows disappear and Bellamy is back in the bed holding Murphy whose slowly waking up. 

Just before Murphy's eyes open he hears the voice in his head again but this time it's loud and he knows it's Octavia trying to reach him telepathically.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up between Murphy and Bellamy while Roan and Lincoln cock block them. Unintentionally on Lincoln's part but completely intentional on Roan's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long but I've had a bit of writers block in getting the story where I want it to go. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of posting a new chapter every week. I'm still not sure how many chapters this will be exactly but I hope you're all enjoying it. I did proofread this time but I did so after working a 10 hour night shift so there may still be some errors. Sorry, I'll work on proofreading more thoroughly in the future.

When Murphy's eyes finally open and focus on Bellamy there's a look in them that he can't quite place. They stare at each other for a few more seconds before either one of them speak.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bellamy asks as he tries to simultaneously focus on Murphy and what Octavia is saying to him in his head.

"Why do you look like you're in pain or have a really bad headache?" Murphy replies.

"I'm not in either case but I am trying to figure something out." Bellamy answers but becomes distracted by Octavia's increasing panic for him to answer her and completely misses Murphy's response.

Murphy waits for Bellamy to answer him but the look in his eyes tells him that Bellamy is somewhere else at the moment which worries him. Its a look he knows all too well because his mother used to get it from time to time after his dad had been killed and the result was always the same, him having a nightmare induced or made worse by her that night when he slept. He didn't think Bellamy would ever do that to him but at one point in time his mother was actually caring and attentive, so there was always the chance that he could be wrong. He waited a little while longer to see if Bellamy would come out of it on his own and when he didn't, he created a snowball and hit him in the face with it.

"What the fuck, Murph?!" Bellamy says, sitting up in bed quickly and trying to brush the snow out of his face.

"You spaced on me and you weren't coming back so I made you."

"I wasn't listening to you so you hit me with a fucking snowball?"

"It wasn't just that, you were somewhere else Bellamy. You had this look in your eyes like you were listening to someone else and it...it...I didn't like it. Be lucky it was just a snowball and not something else." Murphy tells him and Bellamy didn't miss the slight tremor to his voice or the panic in his eyes.

"You were scared, weren't you?"

"I...I...it just reminded me of something I'd rather forget. Can we just leave it at that for now?"

"For now but it's not forgotten and we will be talking about it later." Bellamy insists to which Murphy rolls his eyes.

"Whatever you say. Now will you tell me why you spaced on me or would you rather not talk about it?"

"I heard a voice in my head, talking to me and before you say anything, it was Octavia. She's trying to reach me about something but she's panicking and its causing her thoughts to get jumbled and I can't understand her. I focused on what she was saying when I felt her fear spike but it's a lot of fragments and very few complete thoughts." Bellamy explains.

"Are you sure it's her? It could be The Key or that rogue dream walker."

"It was her. There's no way it could of been them because I remember what they feel like it this felt like Octavia and only Octavia. I just wish I knew what she was trying to tell me." He says with worry.

"Is she still trying to reach you?" Murphy asks and when Bellamy shakes his head no, Murphy continues. "The next time she tries to reach you, let me know and maybe I can help you out."

"And what if she doesn't? What do I do then, huh? I'm worried Murphy. She hasn't reached out to me like that since we were kids and even then it was only if she absolutely needed me. I'm not sure I...I can't lose her." Bellamy says with tears beginning to glisten his eyes and without thinking about it Murphy pulls him into his chest and runs his fingers through his messy curls as he hums a lullaby his mother used to sing him.

Bellamy isn't sure which is more shocking, the fact that Murphy is willing comforting him, that he's humming a lullaby or that its actually working. It takes him a split second to realize that it doesn't really matter and wraps him arms around Murphy's waist. They sit like that for quite a while because Lincoln comes in to see if they were gonna sleep the day away but when he sees the two of them holding each other he leaves the room. Murphy stops humming when Bellamy begins to sit up and before they can stop themselves, their lips meet. Neither react at first and are both kind of frozen in shock that it was happening but just as they both begin to pull away, they grab each other by the back of their necks and deepen the kiss. 

When the need to breathe becomes too much for either to ignore, they break the kiss but not the contact. They rest their foreheads together as their breathing returns to normal, both playing with the strands of hair at the back of the other one's neck. Bellamy can't help but notice the slight tent to Murphy's pajama bottoms or the feel of his own erection pushing against his. Suddenly Murphy runs the tip of his tongue up Bellamy's top lip and the smile on his face after causes Bellamy to suck Murphy's bottom lip into his mouth and gently bite it before releasing it. The look of want in Murphy's eyes suggest that something was about to happen but before he could move, the door to the room swings open and Roan bursts in with Lincoln hot on his heels.

"I tried to stop him, I swear but he wouldn't listen." Lincoln apologies.

"Of course I didn't listen. Do you know what will happen if you two fuck before you're ready?" Roan says without any shred of sorry in his voice.

"I wouldn't fuck him if I wasn't ready. And when did you turn into my mother? I'm grown ass man and I can fuck who I want when I want." Murphy snapped at him irritated.

"I'm not saying you aren't or that you can't but..."

"Actually that's exactly what you're saying to us." Bellamy points out like it should be obvious to him.

"Listen to me, the prophecy states that..."

"What is with you and that damn prophecy? It could be talking about anyone. I don't care what a stupid prophecy written a hundred or so years ago says, if I wanna fuck Bellamy, I'm gonna fuck him." 

"Murphy this prophecy is real and its about the two of you. I wish you'd trust me on this. I don't care if you fuck him or not but if the two of you aren't completely ready when you do the consequences will be dire."

"Dire how?" Lincoln asks, alerting them to his presence still in the room.

"End of the world as we know it dire."

"That's fucking ridiculous. There's no way that the fate of the world is left up to when two people fuck each other. Why would it even matter?"

"And what exactly do you mean by ready?" Bellamy questions finishing Murphy's line of questioning.

"Your mind, body and souls have to be in prefect sync for you to be ready."

"Well, how the hell are we supposed to know when that is?" Murphy asks frustrated.

"I don't know. All it says is that they'll know."

"What the fuck kind of bullshit is that? They'll know when the time is right? News flash Roan, no one knows when the time is right! Why the hell do you think things don't work out all the time? This is just...I can't even...ARRGHH!" Murphy yells as he storms out of the room and out of the house completely.

Bellamy starts to follow him but Roan stops him and says "I'd give him a few minutes before I went out there."

Just as he's about to ask why, there's a huge explosion that shakes the whole house and causes Lincoln and Bellamy to run out on to the porch to see what caused it. Roan follows along behind them a short time later in no obvious hurry and says "told ya" when he catches up to them at the door.

"When he's pissed like that it's best to let him explode first before trying to calm him down otherwise you'll be in for a load of trouble."

"Normally when people explode they yell and scream, maybe even throw things but not literally explode." Lincoln says in shock and disbelief as the smoke and dust clears to reveal Murphy with charred clothes, panting with his fists clinched in the center of a huge crater.

"He's always done that but I don't remember them being that big or destructive." Bellamy says like it's common knowledge.

When Lincoln and Roan both look at him confused he shrugs his shoulders and says "What? The memories are coming back slowly and in pieces but sometimes something happens that knocks one lose entirely. He'll be fine. I'll talk to him and when I get him calm enough to come back inside we'll talk more about this prophecy as well as other things."

"Right. Good luck with that." Lincoln says with uncertainty as he makes his way back inside. 

"It's your funeral." Roan hears Lincoln mumble as he follows him inside. 

"You do know that Murphy would rather kill himself than hurt Bellamy, right? No matter how mad he gets, he'd never be able to hurt him because he's the only one that can bring him back from the edge and to himself. They're each other's strength. Together they are unstoppable if they do things correctly."

"Yeah but in being each other's strength, they are also the other's weakness and it's that part that worries me. How do you know that if it comes down to saving the world or saving Murphy, Bellamy won't chose him or vise versa?"

"Bellamy has friends here and other people he cares about, I'm certain he'll chose the world. Now as for Murphy, he'll do what's necessary when and if the time comes."

"Are you sure?"

"No, but I'd like to believe that he'll do what's best for everyone and not just himself." Roan says after a bit of hesitation.

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then we're all dead anyways so it won't matter." Roan says in a tone that lets Lincoln know there's no more discussion before heading back down to the basement to continue his research.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roan learns about his family and the true origins of The Key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hasn't been proofread yet but I wanted to get it posted today. I promise I'll proofread it later but I wanted to get this chapter posted today. Sorry again. I'm terrible at this shit.

Roan knows he's dreaming. He has to be because there's no way his mother is standing over him in reality. He swears this is some trick of Murphy's because he's still pissed at him but when he does all the things he was taught to wake himself up from a dream, she's still there.

"You can't be real. I watched you die." He says in disbelief and before he can stop himself he reaches for her only to go right through her.

"What do you want from me? Why are you here?" He questions as she continues to stare at him in silence.

He's beginning to get seriously freaked out and is about to yell for Murphy when her hands suddenly grabs his head as her mouth opens and this blinding light engulfs him. He's suddenly thrust back in time to when the temple was still standing and full of monks and priests of the Order. He stares in silence and confusion as his mother pulls on his arm, intending him to follow her. He does but not without hesitation because he's not sure what is happening or how it's even possible. As they walk through the temple he notices that no one seems to be bothered by their presence and he wonders if they can see them at all.

As if in answer to his question, one of the monks passes right through his mother without a second thought and he's about to ask her what's going on when she suddenly stops at a door that's slightly ajar. He can't see around her or through her to see what's behind it but she's staring at him expectantly, like she wants him to go inside. 

"You want me to go inside?" He questions and when she nods he looks at her suspiciously. 

"What will I find in there? Why do you want me to go inside? What's going on? Why won't you talk to me?" He continues to question but his mother remains silent and pushes him closer to the door.

He slowly pushes it the rest of the way open and finds he's standing in what looks to be a huge library. There are floor to ceiling shelves lining the walls filled with books and in the center of the room is a table and chair that has a man hunched over them with papers strewn about. He turns back around to ask his mother who he is but she's gone. He searches the immediate area frantically wondering if all of this is some kind of hallucination when he sees her standing beside the man in the chair. He cautiously makes his way over to them and once he does, his mother points towards the papers in front of him. He glances at them quickly at first but then something on one of the pages catches his eye and he picks it up to examine it more closely. 

Most of it is in that language that he never bothered to learn and he feels his mother's gaze on him like she knows exactly what he's thinking which makes him hang his head in slight shame. He really should of paid more attention to her when she tried to teach him it but like all children his age, he never thought he'd need it. However the more he examined the page the more the symbols seemed familiar somehow but he couldn't place how. He looks at his mother to ask her another question even though he was certain she wouldn't answer him whether she knew the answer or not when a hand grabs his wrist. The movement was so quick and shocking that he didn't even register that it wasn't his mother until a voice spoke to him.

"I was wondering when you'd come. I've been waiting for you. We have much to discuss and very little time to discuss it." The man in the chair said to him as he loosened the grip on his wrist.

"You can see me? How? What's going on? Where am I and who the hell are you?" Roan asks in confusion and looks to his mother who is no longer there.

"She's gone son. She's served her purpose and now she's gone. We weren't sure who exactly to send after you but in the end we figured your mother would have the best chance of getting you here." The man says before he can even voice his question, like he knew what he was going to say.

"And where exactly is here? Who are you and what did you mean by she's served her purpose? Where is she now?"

"You are in the Temple of The Lost. Before we became The Order that your family has been a part of for centuries we were a place where those rejected because of their gifts could come and live in peace. We helped many lost souls who were either cast out because of what they could do or were afraid of it. We took in those who couldn't control their abilities and those who simply wanted to understand them. We were what some would call an orphanage but we were so much more than that."

"You keep saying were like something happened that changed it. What happened? I mean I just figured The Order had always been here and that it was always the Temple of The Elders."

"It became so much later. The Temple of The Lost was a good place and we were able to help many people but there was one who was just too far gone. When he came to us many thought we should of turned him away right then and there but there were some who insisted that we help because it was what we did. In the end we did take him in but we soon wished we hadn't. He was powerful, too powerful for someone of his age and we tried to help him control it but his rage was too all consuming. He was angry at the world it seemed and nothing could curb it. Nothing until he came to us. He was powerful too but whereas the other lacked control, he had too much. It was almost like he was afraid of his own abilities and purposefully lowered their potency because of it. They soon became inseparable and it wasn't long before we noticed a change in them both. It seemed that they began to act like each other in a sense. The one who lacked control became more controlled and the one who was controlled became less so. Some thought we should separate them but when they tried things didn't end well. They sensed each other, it was as if they were two parts of the same whole and now that they had found each other, they wouldn't be separated again. When one was out of control the other knew it and could instantly calm him but something happened one day that no one expected. We had a visitor that changed everything." The man who Roan assumed was one of the monks told him.

"What happened? Who was this visitor?" Roan prompts when the man stops speaking and becomes lost in thought like he was remembering what had happened.

"It was Talon's mother. Talon was the one who couldn't control his abilities and when his mother came to see him none of us knew the impact it would have on him. We never knew much about him because he never talked to us outside of us trying to teach him control so we didn't realize that she wasn't good for him. She was only with him for a few minutes before Rayce came in and threw her out of the temple but in those few minutes she had managed to destroy all that we had worked so hard to achieve with him over the last year that he'd been with us. He destroyed the temple, taking most of the monks and children with it. The few of us who got away in time managed to magically lock ourselves in here while Rayce tried talking him down. He almost had him but somehow his mother was able to get inside his head and before Rayce could stop her, she got him to lose complete control. It was then that The Key was born. He was just a scared and angry child who had been manipulated his whole life by people who were supposed to love him and when he finally found someone who did and a place he could belong, they ruined it and him in the process. Maybe if he'd of come to us sooner or if him and Rayce had found each other sooner they both could of been saved but..." He continues but tails off as a deep sadness takes him and Roan wonders if they were closer than just monk and student.

"What happened to them? How was The Key dealt with?"

"Rayce sacrificed himself to save Talon. He knew the boy he loved was still in there somewhere, he just needed to find a way to reach him. So when Talon, consumed by his darkness and power tried to kill a small child he found hiding under one of the beds, Rayce put himself between them. He knew the darkness wouldn't think twice about killing him but he hoped that Talon was still strong enough to not let that happen. He was partially right. Talon wasn't strong enough to stop him from killing Rayce but watching the man he loved die by his own hand and not being able to stop it did. He was able to take back control and managed to use what was left of his power to send The Key into another dimension where it could no longer hurt anyone. However the power that it took to do that killed him. They were buried together and we hoped that they would find the peace and happiness that was denied to them while they were alive in death. We rebuilt the temple and took in more children. A few decades later a young boy came to us out of control and many believed it was Talon all over again but I chose to believe otherwise. Unfortunately I was wrong. It was like Talon and Rayce all over again but with different people. The little girl who Rayce had saved came to us one night with a journal that she'd found under her pillow. She insisted that it wasn't hers, she'd never seen it before and had no idea where it came from or how it wound up under her pillow. As I began to look though it I realized rather quickly that it was Talon's but it was the entry on the last page that really drew my attention. It was a spell, one that was too advanced for someone like him but I knew that him and Rayce had cast it because it was the only explanation."

"What do you mean? What was the spell?" Roan asked overwhelmed by all the information he was receiving but still curious as to what it had to do with why he was there.

"It was something akin to reincarnation but not exactly. They cast this spell long before his mother showed up and I think it was why they were so close. They believed in their love for each other so much that they cast a two souls are one spell. However the problem with that spell is that it keeps repeating itself throughout the generations until the two souls can truly be together and happy. Since Talon killed Rayce, their souls found two new people to inhabit and tried again and when that failed, they tired again. They'll keep trying until their souls are finally able to be together in life and in death. Once we figured this out the Temple of the Elders and The Order were born. It was our hope that someone would find a way to finally bring their two souls together and they could find peace. The Key however kept finding a way back into our world and stopping them from being together completely. We were never able to figure out why and then the temple was just forgotten. Thankfully The Order was still around. Unfortunately most of the information that we had managed to gather over the centuries had been lost."

"The prophecy. That's why it was written, wasn't it? To truly stop The Key, Talon and Rayce's souls must become one and together they can destroy it."

"Precisely but The Key has always managed to force one to kill the other so that never happens."

"What about the people the souls occupy? I mean do they have their own souls or is it just Talon and Rayce's?" Roan asks trying to figure out how the regenerating souls worked.

"We believe that their souls find two people who truly belong together and who are already forming that relationship and take over them. They still have their original soul but its kind of locked away until Talon and Rayce get what they want or the people they occupy are dead."

"So Murphy and Bellamy are actually Talon and Rayce but still Murphy and Bellamy?"

"I know it sounds confusing but it..."

"Actually I understand it completely. It makes sense. There are times when Murphy isn't really Murphy but Talon and Rayce don't fully take over, do they? Murphy and Bellamy are still themselves but at certain times there's a subtle shift and if you don't know them you'd never notice it. Is the only way to help them to stop The Key?" Roan interrupts.

"Yes and I know that you've been having a hard time trying to decipher things and figure out how to do that so I'm going to help you out. This is my family's journal. It has been passed down through the centuries and has all of our research and findings on Talon and Rayce as well as The Key and the spell they cast. Also just a little piece of advice before you go, Murphy's father's journal has a key code in it, correct? Well, it's the key code for the language of The Elders. We wanted to make sure that you had some help if we couldn't reach you in time. Use them both wisely and hopefully you can save those boys and stop this cycle from repeating again."

Before Roan can say anything else, the book is thrust into his hands and there's this blinding light again and once it subsides, he's back in the basement, sitting at the table like nothing ever happened. He looks around in confusion and wonders what the hell kind of hallucination that was and if he should wake Murphy up to kill him for it but as he gets up to get him some coffee and food something heavy hits the floor at him feet. When he looks down to see what it is, he shocked to find that it's the book that the monk had given him in his hallucination which would mean that it wasn't a hallucination at all and that he had really been there. He stares at the book a bit longer before picking it up to look at it. When the monk gave it to him he didn't really pay much attention to the cover but now that he was staring at it, what he saw almost made him drop the book in surprise. It has his father's name on it. The monk was the man his father was named after which meant that the monk was his ancestor and it also meant that he was much more a part of this than he ever thought.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy and Murphy find out about Rayce and Talon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a hard time finishing this story. I know that there may be some plot inconsistences and a lot of that has to do with the fact that I'm not sure where I want this story to go anymore. I'm not sure how to or if I even want to finish it. I may just decide to do one long chapter to wrap everything up just so its done and over with because I really hate leaving something unfinished. I proofread this chapter but if there are any mistakes I'm sorry in advance.

Roan ran upstairs to grab himself a beer and something to eat before heading back downstairs to look through the journal but as he enters the room he notices it's empty so he decides to sit down and relax for a bit before getting back to work. As he sips his beer and eats, he casually sifts through the journal, not really focusing on anything in particular until he finds a picture of Talon and Rayce. 

When he sees the picture of the two of them he nearly chokes because they look exactly like Murphy and Bellamy. After he's done coughing, he focuses on the picture and the text that is beside it. When that tells him nothing useful, he goes back to the beginning hoping to have better luck. While he's intently searching the journal Murphy and Bellamy enter the kitchen. As they each grab a drink from the fridge, Roan looks up from the journal and gives them a quick nod and hopes Murphy doesn't notice the look on his face as he quickly tries to bury it back in the journal. Thankfully if he noticed he doesn't say anything. They begin talking amongst themselves about something and he takes the opportunity to focus his ability on seeing what isn't there and what he finds is unusual to say the least.

Every person has their own aura that is unique to them and only them but with Bellamy and Murphy there are two. One is theirs and the other although powerful is weak but at the same time not. It's almost as if its fading and even though it seems to be blending into their own to create a new one, he has a feeling that isn't a good thing. When he notices Murphy looking at him curiously he quickly looks away, grabs something from the cabinet and begins to leave the room but Murphy had sensed something that he wasn't about to let go.

"What did you see?" He asks Roan just before he can fully exit the kitchen. 

"Noth...I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't using my abilities." Roan stutters. 

"Bullshit. I know what you look like when you're concentrating and when you see something so what did you see?"

"Nothing. At least nothing you'd believe." Roan confesses and before Murphy can respond Bellamy speaks. 

"You've found something or rather something's found you, hasn't it? Something that's been lost for centuries. What do you know?"

"I don't...have you two not been feeling yourselves lately?" Roan asks suddenly, changing the subject.

"Why?" Bellamy asks slightly confused. 

"Roan just tell us what's going on. I know something has happened to you in the last few hours since my blow up, so what is it?" Murphy questions. 

There's a short pause before Roan sighs and tells them about what he thought was a dream but actually wasn't. He knows how it sounds and if he hadn't been through it himself he'd think he was crazy. So when they both look at him skeptically, he shows them the journal. 

"Like you said, something old found me. The name on the cover is my father's but this isn't his. He was named after someone else and this is theirs."

"How do you know for sure? I mean why now? Why didn't you get this sooner?" Murphy asks as Bellamy looks at the journal curiously.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with The Key's return. There's something else and I'm not sure how to...Maybe I should just show you instead." Roan says as he flips to the page with Talon and Rayce's picture for them to see. 

They both stare at it not really sure what exactly they're seeing or how it's possible but before Murphy can ask Roan what the hell is going on Bellamy speaks.

"I've seen that room before. It's a room with high glass windows that allow the moonlight to shine through at night but only at night because its closed during the day."

"How did you...? Are you sure it was that room? I mean the room was destroyed when the temple burned and it was never replaced. At least that's what the guy who gave me this journal showed me." Roan says confused as Murphy looks at Bellamy like he may have some idea of what he's talking about.

"I saw it in a dream. At least I thought it was a dream but now I'm not so sure. I think that it might have been a memory of his." Bellamy says pointing at a picture of Rayce.

"Who were they and why do they look like us?" Murphy says looking at Roan expectantly.

Roan tells them everything he knows about Talon and Rayce as well as the spell that they cast in order to be bound together but before he even finishes, Murphy leaves. Roan and Bellamy look around wondering where he was going and just as Bellamy gets up to go figure out what happened, Murphy comes back into the kitchen holding his father's book.

"I remembered something that my father had told me once and had to check it out. It seems that he took me to the Temple of The Elders when I was little but the place was empty. The building was crumbling in places from disuse and when my dad opened the door it fell to the ground. I thought I saw a man standing in the center of the room but when I went to investigate, there was nothing there. My dad told me to stay hidden behind this statue and if I heard him yell run I was to run home and never look back. Once I was safely hidden, he left to see if he could find someone but the place was empty."

"Why did he take you to the temple? How did he even know it existed when only those in The Order know it was even there?" Roan asks.

"Mbege's mother told him about it. She said that everyone from Azgeda knew about The Temple and The Order and that they took in wayward or uncontrollable kids. He was apparently worried about my shadow magic and she suggested they might be about to help. She gave him a rough idea of where it was but where she was telling us to go was nowhere near where the place actually was."

"So how were you able to find it?"

"I led him there. I didn't understand it at the time but I think now that it may have been Talon's memories telling me the way to go. I just knew that we needed to go a certain way and dad followed me. Before I knew it we were staring up at the mostly intact ruins of a temple. It was like he wanted me to go there because there was something that I needed to see."

"And what did you see? There was someone there, wasn't there?" Bellamy asks sensing something happened while Murphy was alone.

"I thought it was a dream but I don't think it was. I think I walked in someone else's dream. Someone who'd been asleep for a long time and as strange and crazy as it sounds I think it was the statute that I was hiding behind. I think it was a person who had been spelled to sleep in stone. I never spoke about it after that but I guess on the way home I told my dad about it and he wrote it down in here. He used to always tell me to never forget or ignore my dreams because sometimes they're the only thing that's honest." Murphy explains.

"What did you see? Or better yet, what did the person in stone show you?" Roan says not at all thinking Murphy was crazy. Things were a bit strange but ever since Murphy and Mbege had come into his life, things had been strange so in a way this was par for the course.

"Who's in stone?" Lincoln says from the kitchen doorway as he begins to enter the room but stops when they all look at him weird.

"What? Did I miss something? I missed something, didn't I? Catch me up on what I've missed so I'm not completely lost for the rest of this conversation, even though I'm pretty sure I'll be lost anyways." Lincoln says with a sigh.

Once they fill him on everything and after a lot of questions, Lincoln was finally ready for the rest of the conversation but still confused about things. He knew he'd never fully understand what was going on but at least he wasn't in the dark. They sat in silence looking at Murphy, waiting for him to tell them what the stone man showed him. When it was obvious that it would take a while Bellamy gently cups the back of his neck with his hand, pulling Murphy towards him so their foreheads touched and said "whenever you're ready or if you don't feel like saying it we could always read what your father wrote."

Murphy lightly shakes his head, never really breaking contact with Bellamy's forehead and says "I didn't tell him everything. I didn't want to scare him more than what he already was. Just give me a minute."

Bellamy nods and begins to lightly play with the hair at Murphy's neck which he knows relaxes him. A few minutes later Murphy is ready to tell them about the stone man but is thankful that Bellamy never stops playing with his hair the whole time because he's not sure he could make it through the whole thing without the comfort of Bellamy's touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and if there are any suggestion that you may have just let me know.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murphy and Bellamy learn a little bit about why they look like Talon and Rayce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part is a flashbacks of sorts into what happened when Murphy went to temple ruins as a child.

A strange feeling comes over Murphy as he's waiting for his dad to return. It's like he's being watched but he can't sense anyone else there aside from him and his dad. He looks up at the statue curiously and he swears the eyes seem to glow causing him to get lost in their stare. Before he knows it he's no longer in the temple ruins but a beautifully moonlit room with a boy that looks just like Bellamy standing in the center of it. The boy doesn't seem to see him at first and its as if he's in a trance of some kind. Murphy reaches out and touches his arm, startling him out of whatever was keeping him transfixed causing the boy to look at him in shock like he's just seen a ghost before he smiles reassuringly at him.

"You look so much like him and I'm sure I look like someone you know as well. Anyways, I'm sure you have questions and I'll answer as many as I can but know that you shouldn't be afraid of what you can do. Your magic is special John as are you and some day you will meet someone equally as special and the two of you will be perfect for each other."

"But I've already met him and he looks just like you. His name is Bellamy and he's my best friend. He's the only one except for Mbege that knows about my shadow magic aside from my parents of course. How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you but I can't really explain how just yet. It's a bit confusing even for me. Bellamy is more than just your best friend, isn't he?"

"I don't...I see him in my dreams sometimes but it's mostly glimpses. He never stays around long and if I try to touch him he disappears. I just want him to stay because everything is so much better and easier when he's around. I told his dad that Bellamy was my soul mate and that it feels like we're two parts of the same soul and he said that I should hold on to him because something like that doesn't come along very often. But when I told my mom the same thing she said I was crazy and that I needed to stop being so dramatic about things. I guess she was really worried about it because my dad brought me to this temple. I mean I think this is the same temple because even though the one that we went to is ruins they look sorta like this. Where am I?"

"You're still in the temple just not the same time period. This is when the temple was a refuge for wayward children who were having issues with their magic before it was destroyed and forgotten."

"This was your home, wasn't it?"

"For a time, yes but that was long ago."

"Are you dead?"

"Not exactly, no. My body is long gone but my soul still lives on."

"Why haven't you found the peace you need to move on?"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're pretty damn smart for a kid your age? You remember when I said you look like someone? Well that person is the other half of my soul and until we're reunited neither of us can completely move on."

"Will you be stuck like that forever or is there a way that you can find each other again so you can move on?"

"There's a way but it's complicated and I'm not sure I could do something like that to someone as innocent as you."

"No one is ever truly innocent and I want to help. What do I need to do?"

"Are you absolutely certain that this Bellamy is the other half of your soul? There can be no doubt. Not even a shred of it. Do you understand?"

"I understand and he is. I know it's strange to be so young and so sure of something like this but its true. Everything about him feels right and when we're together it's like the world makes sense. Maybe I am overdramatic."

"Trust me, you're not. I felt the same way about Talon. In fact I still feel that way. Things just feel off without him around and it's almost like I'm lost in a fog that I can't seem to find my way out of but he's that light that breaks through it and finds me every time. Do you really want to do this? Do you really want to help us move on?"

"Yes. What do I have to do?"

"There will come a time when your magic is going to try and overtake you but you must remember that you are stronger and won't let it. The magic doesn't control you, you control it. It needs you to do what it wants but you can't let it. There is a spell that you must say when this happens. I know this is vague and I will try and give you some more clarification if I can. There will be a lake and a boy who threatens you which causes you to lose control long enough to kill him. Bellamy will be there to stop you but it'll be too late and this spell must be said exactly as I say it."

"What will it do?"

"It will make Bellamy forget all about you but it won't be permanent. He will remember you in time but it's necessary in order for us to move on. I'm sorry for what will happen to you until Bellamy begins to remember but you are strong enough to deal with it."

"How do you know that I'm strong enough?"

"Because you are the only child that hasn't run away or tried to find a way out of here. You listened to me and you're willing to help which makes you far stronger than you realize. Now there's one more spell I need you to remember and this one must be said as soon as you are in the presence of Bellamy. This is the one that will allow us to use your bodies to find each other and move on."

"What do you mean by use us to find each other?"

"Our souls need vessels. People that we can inhabit until we are able to reunite with each other. You will feel us there every now and then but for the most part you'll never even know we're there. Sometimes there will be a pull in a certain direction or a feeling that something is wrong or right or you'll see a memory from our lives in a dream and that will be us guiding you in the direction you need to go. You will still be you and we can't take over you completely. We'll just be hitching a ride so to speak until it's our time to get off. If there was another way to do this I'd do it but unfortunately this is the only way that we can be reunited with each other. I'll understand if you don't want to continue. I know its asking a..."

"I still wanna help. I can't imagine not being able to be with Bellamy. If this is what it takes for your souls to become one again then I'll do it."

"Thank you, John. Listen very carefully to the words of these spells because if even one word is off, it will never work. Okay?" 

He waits for Murphy to nod in understanding before telling him the words to each spell. He then lightly touches Murphy's face and says in a pained whisper "I really hope this works this time. I've waited so long to find him again and I'm not sure how much longer I can do this. He was always so much stronger than me but he never saw himself as anything but weak. You're so much like him John, it's scary. No matter what happens and no matter how much you feel like you wanna give up, don't. You are stronger than the things that will try to pull you down. Trust yourself and your feelings because neither will lead you astray. You're dad will be returning soon so I have to let you go back now but remember everything I've said and don't forget the words. I have faith in you John Murphy and I know you won't let me down."

The moonlit room slowly fades away and Murphy is once again staring into the eyes of the statue in the ruins of the temple. He blinks his eyes to try and adjust them to the change in light when he hears his dad yell his name. He slowly and cautiously makes his way from behind the statue to see his dad with a slight look of disbelief on his face.

"Is something wrong, dad?"

"No son, everything's fine. Come on lets get home before your mother starts to worry."

"Am I okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know I'm not normal but you brought me here because something I did or said scared you, didn't it?"

"You always were too smart for your own good. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, John. You are prefect just the way you are and anyone who tries to tell you different doesn't really know you at all. I love you and no matter what happens that will always be true and hopefully some day you will find someone who loves you no matter what. Maybe it'll even be Bellamy."

Murphy smiled up at him so excitedly and began to tell him about the boy he'd seen while waiting for him in the temple. He told his father all about how the boy said that he looked just like someone named Talon that he used to know and that him and Bellamy were two parts of the same soul just like him and Talon were once and that he was gonna help them find each other again. Murphy was so wrapped up in the story he was telling that he didn't notice the sad look on his father's face because while Murphy had been talking to the statute, his father had been talking to someone else. It seemed that the temple wasn't as empty as they had thought when they entered and that Murphy had actually seen a person standing in the center of the room near the statue because this person or monk showed Alex things about his son that scared him greatly. But what scared him the most about all of them was the fact that he wouldn't be around to help his son through them and that no amount of spells or potions or anything could prevent him from leaving his son at the mercy of a grieving mother who was lost without him a well.

\----------------------------

Everyone is silent when Murphy finishes telling them what happened in the temple and although Bellamy's hand never stopped running through Murphy's hair in comfort, the silence was making him panic. Bellamy feels Murphy's neck muscles tensing and somehow knows that he's on the verge of a panic attack. He stops running his fingers through Murphy's hair, grabs his face with both hands and touches their foreheads together.

"Breathe with me Murph. Follow my rhythm. Slow and steady, in and out." He says just above a whisper. 

Murphy does what he says but it's not helping because the silence in the room is making him think things that he knows aren't true but can't stop. Sensing things are getting worse, Bellamy places a hand over Murphy's heart, puts Murphy's hand over his and with their foreheads still touching says "match my heartbeat."

It works for a bit but when Roan touches Murphy's hand in a gesture of comfort it sends him over the edge. He immediately starts hyperventilating and even though he can feel Bellamy's heartbeat slow and steady, he can't calm down enough to match it. When Murphy tries to pull away from Bellamy, he begins to let him go at first but something tells him not too and just as Murphy is about to get up to leave the room, Bellamy pulls him into a kiss. The kiss is short but as Bellamy pulls away he notices Murphy's breathing is returning to normal. He places Murphy's hand over his heart again but keeps his hand covering Murphy's. A few minutes later Murphy leans in to lay his head beside their hands on Bellamy's chest and closes his eyes.

"You good?" Bellamy asks as he wraps his arm around Murphy and lays his head against Murphy's.

"Yeah. How did you know what to do?" He asks never moving away from Bellamy.

"Rayce told me. Apparently Talon got them sometimes and when they got really bad the only thing that calmed him was a kiss. Something about holding your breath causes your body to start breathing normally again."

"I'm sorry I agreed to help Rayce and Talon without talking to you about it first. I should have told you what was happening since my decision impacted more lives than just my own but he was so sad Bellamy and I couldn't just walk away. At least not back then. I just wanted to help and I..."

"It's okay, Murphy. None of this is your fault. Rayce and Talon have been inhabiting people ever since their deaths in an attempt to reunite without success. I think the fact that you and Bellamy look exactly like them isn't a coincidence. I think it was destiny." Roan says.

"What do you mean? Destiny and fate aren't real things."

"Life isn't just a series of mishaps or coincidences Bellamy. There is a purpose to it. The things that happen to us to shape our lives are leading us to a certain outcome. Now maybe things aren't predestined but there's no doubt that you and Murphy were made for each other."

"Lincoln's right. I never said anything to anyone about this because most people already thought I was a little off to begin with but the day we met almost didn't happen."

"What do you mean? We met in school." Bellamy says confused.

"We met on the playground before school started and I almost wasn't there. I didn't want to go to school and my parents weren't going to send me because we were afraid of me losing my temper and my shadow magic hurting someone but the night before I had a dream that changed my mind. It was a memory of Talon's, I'm sure of that now but it was from when he first met you. He was so happy to find someone like him in Rayce that it made him comfortable with who he was for the first time in his life and I wanted that too. I begged my parents to let me go to school because I just knew that if I did I'd meet someone who would make me feel like Rayce made Talon. I think that before I ever went to the temple and met Rayce that him and Talon felt us. I think they knew we were the ones and they made sure things worked so that we met." Murphy explains.

"So does that mean that we never would of met otherwise?"

"You would have met no matter what but it would have been much later and you probably would have hated each other at first. You would have met here for the first time when I brought you to him to help get your friends back." Roan states.

"But would that still have happened?" Lincoln asks.

"The Key was always here and The Elite are the most powerful Elementals that there have been since Talon and Rayce so their presence is what drew The Key out of hiding, not Talon and Rayce's presence in Murphy and Bellamy. The Key had been waiting for the most powerful elementals to be born so that it could rise to power again. The Key was coming with or without Talon and Rayce but I believe that their presence in you two will allow us to vanquish The Key once and for all." Roan informs them.

"How can you be so sure? Evil is always present and something like The Key doesn't need much to get a foothold in the world. Even if we do manage to vanquish it what's to stop it from coming back again?" Lincoln asks.

"I can't but what kept it away before was the fact that shadow magic wasn't ignored and dream walkers were identified along with shadow warriors. The tests and processes that The Order and The Temple of Elders set in place when they were first created needs to be brought back because it worked to unite shadow warriors with their dream walkers and keep the darkness at bay. They had kept a balance for centuries that has been forgotten and in order to keep evil away that balance needs to be forged again."

"If you don't learn from the past you're doomed to repeat it and we've been digging ourselves deeper and deeper into the ground instead of using the shovels to help get us out." Murphy says quietly into Bellamy's chest.

"Exactly. We have the tools necessary to help us vanquish A.L.I.E. we just need to us them." Bellamy says.

"So let's get our friends back and send that bitch in the red dress back to darkness she came from." Lincoln says.

"Roan, what do we do?" Murphy asks finally pulling away from Bellamy to look at Roan expectantly.

"I'm still working on that but hopefully this book will shed some light on things." Roan says holding up the journal that the monk had given him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any mistakes I'm sorry. I quickly skimmed over this chapter instead of doing an in depth proofread so there may be some errors. Next chapter will probably be them making their way to the lighthouse to get Clarke and the others as well as get rid of A.L.I.E. and Jaha once and for all.

**Author's Note:**

> As always all feedback is appreciated so please leave kudos, comments or both. If something sucks or you don't agree with it feel free to let me know, I won't be offended.


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